Parasites, Hosts and Diseases

The Korea Society for Parasitology and Tropical Medicine (대한기생충학·열대의학회)
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First Clinical Cases of Spirometrosis in Two Cats in Korea

  • Kim, Joohyung (Shinsegae Animal Medical Center) ;
  • Ock, Younsung (Myeonggok Station Animal Hospital) ;
  • Yang, Kihwan (Shinsegae Animal Medical Center) ;
  • Choe, Seongjun (Department of Parasitology, Parasite Research Center and Parasite Resource Bank, School of Medicine, Chungbuk National University) ;
  • Park, Kyung-Mee (College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University) ;
  • Lee, Wan-Kyu (College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University) ;
  • Choi, Kyung-Chul (Laboratory of Biochemistry and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University) ;
  • Kim, Soochong (College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University) ;
  • Kwak, Dongmi (College of Veterinary Medicine, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Lee, Seung-Hun (College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University)
  • Received : 2020.11.02
  • Accepted : 2021.03.15
  • Published : 2021.04.30
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Abstract

This study reports the first two clinical cases of spirometrosis caused by Spirometra sp. in cats in Korea. In these two cases, the cats vomited, and long proglottids of tapeworm were recovered. The sick cats presented with anorexia and lethargy. However, they unexpectedly showed no diarrhea, which is the main symptom of spirometrosis. Based on a fecal floatation test as well as morphological and molecular analyses, the parasite was diagnosed as Spirometra sp. The 2 cases were treated with praziquantel. This study suggests regular monitoring of health and deworming in companion animals, even when animals are well cared for, with regular preventive medication. Additionally, spirometrosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis in cases of gastrointestinal symptoms in Spirometra endemic areas.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by a research grant from the Chungbuk National University in 2019; the Korea Institute of Planning and Evaluation for Technology in Food, Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (IPET) through the Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs Convergence Technologies Program for Educating Creative Global Leader, funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) (grant number: 320005-4); and "Regional Innovation Strategy (RIS)" through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (MOE).

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