Spirometra mansonoides from a domestic cat in northeastern Brazil: case report

Abstract

Class Cestoda, in addition to causing problems for the health of animals, has been very relevant for human public health due to the zoonotic character of some species. In reporting a case of a domestic cat diagnosed with Spirometra mansonoides in northeastern Brazil, we demonstrate the importance of the association among different diagnostic techniques in the identification of the parasite, as well as report the presence of this parasite in domestic cats in the Northeast region. An old female feline with limited mobility was rescued and clinically evaluated. The observed bowel loop thickening and cachexia were suggestive of parasitosis, but the diagnosis and therapy were initially concentrated only on the fracture of a limb. Two months after the first diagnosis, the animal spontaneously expelled a parasite in its stool. Eggs and an adult parasite were found and identified by the association of diagnostic techniques such as coproparasitological and morphological studies. The case was the first to identify the species in the region and to signal the epidemiological surveillance of the zoonotic potential of the specimen.