Spirocerca lupi: General aspects of parasite and Spirocercosis in dogs
Keywords:
Canine, spirocercosis, esophageal nodulesAbstract
The nematode Spirocerca lupi, which causes spirocercosis, is a parasite that mainly affects dogs and wild canids. Its biological cycle involves intermediate hosts, the coprophagous beetles and small birds, reptiles and rodents that serve as paratenic hosts. The disease is of cosmopolitan occurrence with a higher prevalence in tropical and subtropical countries, being endemic in South Africa. It has also been reported in some South American countries, including Brazil, being more prevalent in hunting dogs and stray dogs. The adult worms parasite the esophagus, stomach and aorta artery of the definitive hosts, causing nodules, granulomas and several lesions. The symptoms of spirocercosis varies according to the migratory process of the parasite in the animal organism, the affected organs, as well as the evolution of the disease. Symptoms such regurgitation, dysphagia and weight loss are the main clinical manifestations observed in parasitized dogs. The diagnosis is based on clinical findings, imaging, parasitological examination of feces or secretions of the regurgitation, emese and necropsy findings. The treatment can be clinical, still little viable, or surgical for removal of the nodules containing the parasites. As preventive measures the literature cites avoiding access of dogs to paratenic hosts and, in addition, they should not be fed with raw viscera of other domestic and wild animals.
References
AROCH, I.; MARKOVICS, A.; MAZAKI-TOVI, M.; KUZI, S.; HARRUS, S.; YAS, E.;
BANETH, G.; BAR-EL, M.; BDOLAH-ABRAM, T.; SEGEV, G.; LAVY, E.
Spirocercosis in dogs in Israel: a retrospective case-control study (2004-2009). Veterinary Parasitology, v.211, p.234-240, 2015.
CHAI, O.; YAS, E.; BRENNER, O.; ROJAS, A.; KONSTANTIN, L.; KLAINBART, S.;
SHAMIR, M.H. Clinical characteristics of Spirocerca lupi migration in the spinal cord. Veterinary Parasitology, v.253, p.16-21, 2018.
CHIKWETO, A.; BHAIYAT, M. I.; TIWARI, K. P.; DE ALLIE, C.; SHARMA, R. N.
Spirocercosis in owned and stray dogs in Grenada. Veterinary Parasitology, v.190, p.613-616, 2012.
DVIR, E.; KINBERGER, R. M.; MALLECZEK, D. Radiographic and Computed
thomographic changes and clinical presentation of spirocercosis in the dog. Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound, v.42, p.119-129, 2001.
ELIAS, F.; BARROS, R.M.; SANTOS-JÚNIOR, H.L.; ELOI, R.S.A; SILVA, V.;
FAGNER, F.; FONSECA-ALVES, C.E. Pathological alterations in dogs resulting from parasitism by Spirocerca lupi. Acta Scientiae Veterinariae, v.44, n.145, p.1-5, 2016. (Suppl1).
FONSECA, E.J.; AMARANTE, E.E.V.G.; ABBOUD, L.C.S.; HEES, S.J.; FRANCO,
R.J.; SILVA, B.J.A. Fatal esophageal fibrosarcoma associated to parasitismo by spirurid nematode Spirocerca lupi in a dog: a case report. Journal of Parasitic Diseases, v.36, n.2, p.273-276, 2012.
FONSECA, D.C.; LAISSE, C.J.M. Espirocercose em cão errante na cidade da Matola, sul de Moçambique. Revista de Patologia Tropical, v.43, n.4, p.492-499, 2014.
FOX, S.M.; BURNS, J.; HAWKINS, J. Spirocercosis in dogs. Compendium on continuing Education for the Practicing Veterinarian, v.10, p.807-822, 1988.
FREUNDT-REVILLA, J.; HEINRICH, F.; ZOERNER, A.; GESELL, F.; BEYERBACH,
M.; SHAMIR, M.; OEVERMANN, A.; BAUMGÄRTNER, W.; TIPOLD, A. The endocannabinoid system in canine Steroid-Responsive Meningitis-Arteritis and Intraspinal Spirocercosis. PloS ONE, v.13, n.2, p.17-23, 2018.
GAL, A.; KLEINBART, S.; AIZENBERG, Z.; BANETH, G. Aortic thromboembolism
associated with Spirocerca lupi infection. Veterinary Parasitology, v.130, p.331-335, 2005.
GIANNELLI, A.; BALDASSARRE, V.; RAMOS, R.A.; LIA, R.P.; FURLANELLO, T.;
TROTTA, M.; DANTAS-TORRES, F.; BANETH, G.; OTRANTO, D. Spirocerca lupi
infection in a dog from southern Italy: an “old fashioned” disease? Parasitology Reseach, v.113, n.6, p.2391-2394, 2014.
GOMEZ-PUERTA, L.A.; CARRASCO, J.; LOPEZ-URBINA, M.T.; GONZALEZ, A.E.
Morphological and molecular identification of Spirocerca lupi (Nematoda: Spiruridae) found in the Andean fox (Lycalopex culpaeus). Journal of Parasitic Diseases, v.42, n.3, p.449-454, 2018.
GREEFF, J.M.; REID, K.; GAGJEE, J.R.; CLIFT, S.; DE WAAL, P. Population genetic
structure of the parasitic nematode Spirocerca lupi in South Africa. Veterinary
Parasitology, v.258, p.64-69, 2018.
HOSSEINI, S.M.; RONAGHI, H.; MOSHREFI, A.H.; ZAHERI, B.A.; ADIBI, M.A.;
TAVASSOLI, K. Histopathological study of gastric infection with Spirocerca lupi in Pallas’s cat (Otocolobus manul). Comparative Clinical Pathology, 2018.
KLAINBART, S.; CHAI, O.; VATURI, R.; RAPOPORT, K.; AROCH, I.; SHAMIR, M.
H. Nematode eggs observed in cytology of cerebrospinal fluid diagnostic for
intramedullary Spirocerca lupi spinal cord migration. Veterinary Clinical Pathology, v.47, n.1, p.138-141, 2018.
LE SUEUR, C.; BOUR, S.; SCHAPER R. Efficacy of a combination of imidacloprid
%/moxidectin 2.5% spot-on (Advocate® for dogs) in the prevention of canine spirocercosis (Spirocerca lupi). Parasitology Reseach, v.107, p.1463-1469, 2010.
LOBETTI, R. Survey of the incidence, diagnosis, clinical manifestations and treatment of Spirocerca lupi in South Africa. Journal of the South African Veterinary Association, v.71, p.43-46, 2000.
LOBETTI, R. Follow-up survey of the prevalence, diagnosis, clinical manifestations and treatment of Spirocerca lupi in South Africa. Journal of the South African Veterinary
Association, v.85, n.1, p.2-4, 2014.
MAZAKI-TOVI, M.; BANETH, G.; AROCH, I.; HARRUS, S.; KASS, P.H.; BEN-ARI,
T.; ZUR, G.; AIZENBERG, I.; BARK, H.; LAVY, E. Canine spirocercosis: clinical,
diagnostic, pathologic, and epidemiologic characteristics. Veterinary Parasitology, v.107, p.235-250, 2002.
MONTEIRO, S.G. Parasitologia na Medicina Veterinária. 2ª ed., São Paulo: Roca, 2014. 356p.
MYLONAKIS, M.E.; RALLIS, T.S; KOUTINAS, A.F.; VERVERIDIS, H.N.;
FYTIANOU, A.A. Comparison between ethanol-induced chemical ablation and ivermectin plus prednizolone in the treatment of symptomatic esophageal spirocercosis in the dog: a prospective study on 14 natural cases. Veterinary Parasitology, v.120, p.131-138, 2004.
OSTERMANN, A.M. Infecção por helmintos gastrintestinais em cães (Canis familiaris, Linnaeus 1758) errantes procedentes do município de Recife-PE. 2008. 69p. Dissertação (Mestrado em Ciência Veterinária) - Programa de pós-graduação em Ciência Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, 2008.
PAZZI, P.; KAYKOVSKY, A.; SHIPOV, A.; SEGEV, G.; DVIR, E. Spirocerca lupi
induced oesophageal neoplasia: Predictors of surgical outcome. Veterinary Parasitology, v.250, p.71-77, 2018.
QUESSADA, A.M.; SILVA, F.L.; SOUZA, A.B.; SOUSA, A.A.R. Remoção cirúrgica de nódulos de Spirocerca lupi. Acta Scientiae Veterinariae, v.35, n.3, p.385-387, 2007.
ROJAS, A.; SANCHIS-MONSONÍS, G.; ALIĆ, A.; HODŽIĆ, A.; OTRANTO, D.;
YASUR-LANDAU, D.; MARTÍNEZ-CARRASCO, C.; BANETH, G. Spirocerca vulpis sp. nov. (Spiruridae: Spirocercidae): description of a new nematode species of the red fox, Vulpes vulpes (Carnivora: Canidae). Parasitology, v.145, n.14, p.1917-1928, 2018.
ROMERO, H.Q. Parasitología y enfermedades parasitarias de animales domésticos. México, Lemusa, 2005. 876p.
ROTHMANN, W.; DE WAAL, P.J. Diversity of Spirocerca lupi in domestic dogs and black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas) from South Africa. Veterinary Parasitology, v.244, p.59-63, 2017.
SANTOS, A.S.O.; SILVEIRA, L.S.; LEMOS, L.S.; MOREIRA, L.; SILVA, A.C..;
CARVALHO, E.C.Q.; MATOS, W.R. Aneurismas aórticos pela espirocercose canina em Brasília (Relato de caso). Revista Brasileira de Saúde e Produção Animal, v.5, n.1, p.25-30, 2004.
SASANI, F.; JAVANBAKHT, J.; JAVAHERI, A.; HASSAN, M.A.; BASHIRI, S. The
evaluation of retrospective pathological lesions on spirocercosis (Spirocerca lupi) in dogs. Journal of Parasitic Diseases, v.38, n.2, p.170-173, 2012.
SEGEV, G.; ROJAS, A.; LAVY, E.; YAFFE, M.; AROCH, I.; BANETH, G. Evaluation of a spot-on imidacloprid-moxidectin formulation (Advocate®) for the treatment of naturally occurring esophageal spirocercosis in dogs: adouble-blinded, placebo-controlled study. Parasites & Vectors, v.11, n.127, 2018.
TAYLOR, M.A.; COOP, R.L.; WALL, R.L. Parasitologia Veterinária. 4ª ed., Rio de
Janeiro: Guanabara Koogan, 2017.
TROCCAP. Diretrizes para o diagnóstico, tratamento e controle de endoparasitos caninos nos trópicos. 1ª ed., p.21-23, 2017.
VAN DER MERWE, L.L., KIRBERGER, R.M., CLIFT, S., WILLIAMS, M., KLLER, N.,
NAIDOO, V. Spirocerca lupi infection in the dog: a review. The Veterinary Journal, v.176, p.294-309, 2008.
WIEJEKOON, H.M.S.; MUNASINGHE, D.M.S.; WIJAYAWARDHANE, K.A.N.;
ARIYARATHNA, H.M.H.S.; HORADAGODA, N.; RAJAPAKSE, J.; SILVA, D.D.N.
Postmortem detection and histopathological features of canine spirocercosis-induced putative esophageal chondrosarcoma. Veterinary World, v.11, p.1376-1379, 2018.
