Infection status with helminthes in feral cats purchased from a market in Busan, Republic of Korea

Abstract

The present study was performed to investigate the infection status with helminth in a group of feral catsin Korea. More than 29 helminth species including adults or eggs were detected in visceral and fecal samples of theexamined cats. Among these were a host of nematodes, including toxocarids, Ancylostoma sp. and the larva ofAnisakis simplex; trematodes, including Clonorchis sinensis, Paragonimus westermani, Eurytrema pancreaticum,Pharyngostomum cordatum, Metagonimusspp., Heterophyes nocens, Pygidiopsis summa, Heterophyopsis continua,Stictodora fuscata, Stictodora lari, Acanthotrema felis, Stellantchasmus falcatus, Centrocestus armatus, Procerovumvarium, Cryptocotylesp., Echinostoma revolutum, Echinostoma hortense, Echinochasmus japonicus, Stephanoprorasp., Plagiorchis muris, Neodiplostomum sp. and diplostomulum. We also detected a variety of cestodes, includingSpirometra erinacei, Taenia taeniaeformisand unidentified species of tapeworm. We also found examples of theacanthocephalan, Bolbosoma sp. In our assessment of the stools, we detected at least 12 species of helminth eggs.These findings confirmed that feral cats in Korea are infected with a variety of helminth parasite species. Furthermore,among the helminths detected, E. pancreaticum, S. fuscata, S. lari, A. felis, S. falcatus, C. armatus, P. varium,Cryptocotylesp., E. revolutum, E. japonicus, Stephanoprorasp., P. muris, Neodiplostomumsp. and Bolbosoma sp.represent helminth fauna which have not been reported previously in feral cats in the Republic of Korea.