NCVP - National Center for Veterinary Parasitology

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  • Home
  • Resources
    • People >
      • Directors and Advisory Board
      • Residents >
        • Boehringer Ingelheim Resident
        • Elanco Resident
        • IDEXX Resident
        • Merck Resident
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      • NCVP Alums
      • Clinical Parasitology Support
      • Additional Support
      • Sponsors
    • Parasite Image Database >
      • Protozoa
      • Arthropods
      • Nematodes
      • Trematodes
      • Cestodes
      • Acanthocephala
      • Tick-Borne Disease Agents
    • Case of the Month
    • Teaching and Research Materials >
      • Teaching Specimen Request
      • Parasite Jeopardy Games
      • Parasite Videos
    • Online Resources >
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  • Opportunities
    • Request for Proposals
    • Residency Application
    • Continuing Education in Parasitology
    • Positions Open in Veterinary Parasitology

Case of the Month

May 2019

 

Coughing kitten

An approximately 6-month-old, intact male, recently rescued, domestic short-haired kitten was presented to a small animal clinic in Oklahoma with a 2-week-history of intermittent coughing. ​A fresh fecal sample was submitted to a parasitology diagnostic lab for a general parasitology examination. Centrifugal fecal flotation with 33% zinc sulfate solution (specific gravity, 1.18) revealed a moderate number of nematode larvae (Figure 1 & 2). Larvae were approximately 400 microns in length, and the terminus of the tail has a characteristic kink and spine (Figure 3).  
Picture
Figure 1: 100x magnification.
Picture
Figure 2: 200x magnification.
Picture
Figure 3: Focusing on the tail of the larva. Showing the distinctive kink with dorsal spine. 400x magnification.
What's your diagnosis?

Answer

Aelurostrongylus abstrusus first stage larvae. 

Aelurostrongylus abstrusus is a feline lungworm, which distributes worldwide. Felids serve as a definitive host and acquire the infection by ingestion of an intermediate host (snail or slug) or a paratenic host (rodent and bird). Adult worms are located in the lung parenchyma of the definitive host. First-stage larvae are released in the airways, coughed up, swallowed, and passed out in the feces. Gold standard diagnostic test to recover A. abstrusus L1s is Baermann technique; however, a regular centrifugal fecal flotation test may also detect L1s. Infected cats may be asymptomatic or can have respiratory signs such as coughing, dyspnea, and tachypnea.   

Click on the following link to watch a video of a live L1 of A. abstrusus! >>>  www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGNPjBJBCoc

References: 
Zajac & Conboy, Veterinary Clinical Parasitology 8th ed. 

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