Toxocara cati

This article is about the organism. For the infection, see Toxocariasis.

Toxocara cati
Cluster of adult worms
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Nematoda
Class: Chromadorea
Order: Ascaridida
Family: Toxocaridae
Genus: Toxocara
Species:
T. cati
Binomial name
Toxocara cati
Schrank, 1788
Synonyms

Toxocara mystax (Zeder, 1800)

Toxocara cati, also known as the feline roundworm, is a parasite of cats and other felids. It is one of the most common nematodes of cats, infecting both wild and domestic felids worldwide. Adult worms are localised in the gut of the host. In adult cats, the infection – which is called toxocariasis – is usually asymptomatic. However, massive infection in juvenile cats can be fatal.

Feline roundworms are brownish-yellow to cream-colored to pink and may be up to 10 cm in length. Adults have short, wide cervical alae giving their anterior ends the distinct appearance of an arrow (hence their name, toxo, meaning arrow, and cara, meaning head). Eggs are pitted ovals with a width of 65 μm and a length of about 75 μm making them invisible to the human eye. The larvae are so small that they are easily transmitted from an adult female to her nursing kittens through her milk.[1][2][3][4]

  1. ^ Bowman, Dwight D.; Hendrix, Charles M.; Lindsay, David S.; Barr, Steven C. (2002). Feline clinical parasitology (First ed.). Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University. p. 275. ISBN 978-0-8138-0333-3.
  2. ^ "Toxocara cati". American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists. 17 June 2014. Archived from the original on 9 May 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  3. ^ "Parasites - Toxocariasis (also known as Roundworm Infection)". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  4. ^ Saravanan, M.; Sarma, K.; Mondal, D. B.; Ranjith Kumar, M.; Vijayakumar, H. (1 March 2016). "Concomitant infestation of Toxocara cati and Ancylostoma tubaeforme in a mongrel cat". Journal of Parasitic Diseases. 40 (1): 205–207. doi:10.1007/s12639-014-0451-5. PMC 4815833. PMID 27065627.