title: Gurltia paralysans (Wolffhügel, 1933): description of adults and additional case reports of neurological diseases in three domestic cats from southern Chile.
abstract: Adults of Gurltia paralysans were obtained from veins of the spinal cord subarachnoid space from three domestic cats presenting with chronic paraparesis/paraplegia from rural areas of southern Chile. Four adult nematodes were collected (2 males and 2 females) were recovered from cat 1, 14 adult nematodes (12 females and 2 males) from cat 2, and 12 nematodes (10 females and 2 males) were collected from cat 3. Parasite induced lesions that compromised subarachnoid vein microvasculature at the thoracic, lumbar, sacral spinal cord segments extending to conus medularis. Female nematodes measured 25 mm long (range=25-30 mm) and 0.1mm wide. Male measured a mean of 16 mm length (range=13-18 mm) with a body diameter of 0.1mm (range=0.08-0.15 mm). The present study described structural features of G. paralysans, a rare parasite first reported in the 1930s, and provides additional reports on associated clinical and pathological findings in naturally infected domestic cats.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Patología Animal, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moroni
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Muñoz
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mieres
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rojas
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lillo
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aguirre
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Acosta-Jamett
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaiser
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Lindsay
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000469:parasitology*; D002415:Cats; D002677:Chile; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009348:Nematoda / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D009349:Nematode Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D020335:Paraparesis / Q000209:etiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D010264:Paraplegia / Q000209:etiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000098:blood supply / Q000469:parasitology; D013346:Subarachnoid Space / Q000469:parasitology