Parasites in cats

Cats as pets as stray are commonly affected by parasites, especially gastrointestinal, respiratory and skin parasites. Infections are usually associated with disease in kittens or in individuals with immunological disorders. In that sense, cats may act as a assimptomatic carrier playing a role in the maintenance of the parasite in the environment and increasing the risk to transmission to other cats or to human beings since some agents are considered zoonosis. A revision of the most common parasites affecting cats would be presented: Intestinal parasites would include protozoa such as Giardia sp., Isospora sp., and emerging pathogens such as Tritrichomonas foetus and Cryptosporidium sp. Tapeworms: Mesocestoides, Dipylidium sp. and Joyeuxiella sp, Taenidae (Taenia taeniformis, Taenia pisiformis, Echinococcus multilocularis). Nematodes Ollulanus tricuspis. Roundworms: Toxocara cati, Toxascaris leonina, Hookworms: Ancylostoma tubaeforme, Uncinaria stenocephala. With respect to respiratory parasites, Eucoleus aerophilus, Dirofilaria as an emerging pathogen in cats and some metastrongyloid nematodes have been reported from domestic cats, affecting respiratory tract. Aelurostrongylus abstrusus is rather common, nevertheless, others such as Troglostrongylus sp. and Oslerus rostratus have sporadically been reported. External parasites would include ticks and mites (mange mites and Cheyletiella), fleas and flea-bite dermatitis and the chewing mite Fellicola subrostrata. A good comprehension of the life cycle would be necessary to understand transmission, epidemiology and clinical presentation of the disease. Diagnosis of parasitic disease would be presented with special emphasis to the laboratorial diagnosis techniques and results. Control strategies would also be discussed including treatment, management and prevention. © 2012 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.