Intestinal helminth infections in feral cats and a raccoon dog on Aphaedo Island, Shinan-gun, with a special note on Gymnophalloides seoi infection in cats.
Four feral cats and a raccoon dog purchased from a local collector on Aphaedo Island, Shinan-gun, where human Gymnophalloides seoi infections are known to be prevalent, were examined for their intestinal helminth parasites. From 2 of 4 cats, a total of 310 adult G. seoi specimens were recovered. Other helminths detected in cats included Heterophyes nocens (1,527 specimens), Pygidiopsis summa (131), Stictodora fuscata (4), Acanthotrema felis (2), Spirometra erinacei (15), toxocarids (4), and a hookworm (1). A raccoon dog was found to be infected with a species of echinostome (55), hookworms (7), toxocarids (3), P. summa (3), and S. erinacei (1). No G. seoi was found in the raccoon dog. The results indicate that feral cats and raccoon dogs on Aphaedo are natural definitive hosts for intestinal trematodes and cestodes, including G. seoi, H. nocens, and S. erinacei. It has been first confirmed that cats, a mammalian species other than humans, play the role of a natural definitive host for G. seoi on Aphaedo Island.
Shin
Eun-Hee
EH
Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Institute of Endemic Diseases, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul, Korea.
Park
Jae-Hwan
JH
Guk
Sang-Mee
SM
Kim
Jae-Lip
JL
Chai
Jong-Yil
JY
D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats / Q000469:parasitology*; D002589:Cestoda / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006374:Helminthiasis, Animal / Q000469:parasitology*; D007723:Korea; D046031:Raccoon Dogs / Q000469:parasitology*; D014200:Trematoda / Q000302:isolation & purification*