Does this belong in a camel?A routine fecal egg count was requested on a 2-year-old camel during the month of August. A Wisconsin was performed and the following parasite egg was observed:  Image 1: Egg measures 75 µM x 65µM Spurious Toxocara cati This camel ingested food contaminated with cat feces. The egg is fully larvated which means the egg has been in the environment for a few weeks. We know the egg is T. cati due to its size.. Camels have been reported to be infected with roundworms in other parts of the world, the species that infects them is Toxocara vitulorum (75 to 90 µM x 60 to 75µM), and it is commonly found in the small intestine of bovid calves in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Camels and adult bovines can become infected with Toxocara vitulorum after ingesting eggs from the environment. In calves the most common route of transmission is lactogenic. Treatment is recommended in young calves, however treatment in adult bovines is unlikely to be effective because of the inability of the drugs to affect hypobiotic larval forms. Treating the camel for the spurious Toxocara cati egg is not necessary as it is not a true parasite of camels. |