Improvement of the method for determining the level of contamination of the distal extremities in cats with toxocara eggs
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31210/spi2025.28.04.26Keywords:
parasitology, cats, toxocariasis, nematode eggs, contamination level, effectivenessAbstract
Domestic cats play an important role in the epidemiology of gastrointestinal helminthiasis and can be carriers of a wide range of parasites. Cats are definitive hosts for many intestinal parasites, some of which can cause zoonotic diseases. Such infestations include toxocariasis, caused by the nematode Toxocara cati. Environmental contamination with Toxocara eggs is believed to be the main source of infection in humans and animals, usually caused by the ingestion of invasive eggs from the environment. The aim of the research was to improve, test and justify the feasibility of using a method for determining the level of contamination of the distal limbs of cats with T. cati eggs. Experimental studies were performed in the Laboratory of Parasitology of Poltava State Agrarian University and the Veterinary Clinic "Vet Help" (Poltava). In order to establish the effectiveness of the improved method, it was compared with the well-known analogue method and the express method for determining the level of contamination with toxocara eggs. It was found that the improved method was the most sensitive in isolating T. cati eggs in cats (81.3 %) compared to the analogue method (56.3 %) and the express method (25.0 %). In terms of the number of detected toxocara eggs, the improved method showed the highest efficiency – 15.3 copies. The effectiveness of the analogue method and the express method in determining the level of contamination of the distal limbs of cats with toxocara eggs was lower by 29.4 % (10.8 copies) and 88.2 % (1.8 copies, P<0.001), respectively. During microscopy using the improved method, a small number of small foreign bodies were detected, which facilitates the process of finding nematode eggs. The use of the analogue method and the express method resulted in the presence of a significant number of foreign bodies during microscopy, which worsened the process of detecting invasive elements in the field of view. The obtained research results allow us to recommend an improved method for determining the level of contamination of the distal limbs of cats with T. cati eggs in monitoring studies for feline toxocariasis.
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