Acta Veterinaria 21. (1971)
4. szám - MOSSALAM, I. - HOSNEY, Z. - ATTALAH, O. A.: Larva migrans of Toxocara cati in visceral organs of experimental animals
Acta Veterinaria Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, Tomus 21 (4)4 pp. 405- 412 (1971) LARVA MIGRANS OF TOXOCARA CATI IN VISCERAL ORGANS OF EXPERIMENTAL ANIMALS By I. Mossalam, Z. Hosney and 0. A. Atallah Pathology and Parasitology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt (Received July 20, 1971) Various common helminth parasites of dogs and cats, such as Echinococcus and Toxocara spp., Dipylidium caninum, Ancylostoma caninum, may develop or live in human beings also and in some cases produce serious pathological conditions. Visceral larva migrans, caused by migrating Toxocara canis larvae, is one of the most significant, widespread and damaging human infections acquired through close association with dogs. These larvae migrate through different organs (liver, lungs, brain, kidneys, eyes) and once encapsulated can remain alive for many months. Occasionally, they bring about blindness and even death (Beaveb, 1956). T. canis is the only species to have been identified in cases of visceral larva migrans (Beaveb, 1959). However, there is a good experimental and epidemiological basis for suspecting that other species are similarly involved. Man is not regarded as final host for Toxocara spp., although in 18 cases adult forms of T. cati were found (see review by Mendheim et al., 1952). Although larvae of T. cati have been found in the tissues of mice, chickens and lambs (Sprent, 1956), their migration in these and other hosts is comparatively little studied and data are too scarce to allow deductions to be made in relation to human infections. Our present study was designed to get further information on the histopathological changes caused by migrating larvae of T. cati in different laboratory animals. Material and methods 30-day-old mice, rats and guinea-pigs, 11-day-old chickens and 45-dayold rabbits were used as experimental animals. T. cati eggs were obtained from the uteri of adult female worms and cultivated at 28 30 °C for 28 days in 1% formalin. About 1500 embryonated eggs were given per os to each animal except to the mice, which were given about 250 eggs. Eight individuals of each host species were used, and two of them were sacrificed after 10, 20, 30 and 40 days of the infection. Freshly collected specimens of lungs, liver, kidneys and brain were fixed in 10% formalin, embedded in paraffin, serially cut, and the sections stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Acta Veterinaria Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 21, 1971