ABSTRACT
Objectives: a study on the prevalence of stray cats infected with parasitic helminthes in Tehran
Design: cross sectional study
Animals: one hundred stray cats captured from different urban areas of Tehran
Methods: one hundred stray cats were trapped from different geographic regions of Tehran and were necropsied. Different organs including: kidney, heart, liver, lungs, gastrointestinal tract and abdominal cavity were inspected for helminthic infection
Statistical analysis: X[2] test was used to show the relationship between different factors and parasitic infection and E ta coeffeciency was used to presenting effects of these factors on the infection
Results: four species of helminthes including 3 nematodes, Toxocara cat; [23%], Physaloptra praeputialis [7%] and Toxascaris leonine [2%] and one cestode, Diplopylidium nolleri [5%] were found in gastrointestinal tract and only this organ was found infected in examined cats
Conclusion: although for some species [e.g. Tcati 23%], the percentage of infection was relatively high, but with regard to the mild intensity of the collected worms, they could not cause clinical or subclinical symptoms. On the other hand, considering the contact between cat and man especially children, through courtyard environment or direct contact and visceral or ocular larva migration produced by ascarids of dog and cat, the report of two species of Ascaris in the present study could be a health hazard for human especially children