Can a parasite kill a dog?!?A 2-year-old intact male Labrador Retriever dog was presented to a small animal emergency clinic in Sacramento, California, USA with a recent onset of lethargy and inappetence and a single episode of vomiting and bloody diarrhea. Physical examination revealed fever of 105.2°F, enlarged lymph nodes, and dehydration. After providing supportive care, a centrifugal fecal flotation and fecal sedimentation were performed. Results are shown below.  Figure 1: Centrifugal fecal flotation. 100X magnification  Figure 2: Centrifugal fecal flotation. 400X magnification  Figure 3: Fecal sedimentation. 100X magnification  Figure 4: Fecal sedimentation. 400X magnification AnswerNanophyetus salmincola eggs This is a case of “salmon poisoning” caused by Neorickettsia helminthoeca. The rickettsial agent responsible for disease is found within a fluke – Nanophyetus salmincola – that uses salmonid fish as an intermediate host. Dogs and other canids are extremely susceptible to this infection, and disease occurs by consumption of infected raw fish. Disease is most commonly associated with fish in coastal streams of the Pacific Northwest of the USA, including the states of Washington, Oregon, and northern California, and southern Vancouver Island in Canada. The prognosis with appropriate treatment for the N. helminthoeca infection (doxycycline) is good; however, dogs that do not receive appropriate antibiotics will deteriorate quickly and often die. Note: Although a fecal sedimentation test is preferred to detect fluke eggs, it has been reported that N. salmincola eggs can often be found by a centrifugal fecal flotation test. However, eggs on flotation might be collapsed, folded, or deformed due to the high specific gravity solution (Figures 1 & 2). Suggested reading: Sykes, J. E., et al. (2010). "Salmon poisoning disease in dogs: 29 cases." JVIM 24(3): 504-513. Comments are closed.
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