Primer reporte de Toxocara cati en el caracol doméstico Rumina decollata / First report of Toxocara cati in the domestic land snail Rumina decollata

Se estudió el rol prospectivo de Rumina decollata como potencial hospedador paraténico de Toxocara cati para los gatos domésticos. Se recolectaron caracoles R. decollata y heces de gatos de un hospital de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires. Se procesaron las heces y los caracoles fueron digeridos para identificar estadios de T. cati por análisis morfológico y molecular. El 23,5% (4/17) de las muestras de heces resultaron positivas a huevos larvados de T. cati. El 20% (5/25) de los pooles de caracoles fue positivo a larvas de tercer estadío (L3) de Toxocara spp. por PCR. El promedio de larvas totales recuperadas por gramo de caracol en todos los pooles positivos fue de 5.1, con un máximo de 33 L3/pool. Se trata del primer reporte de R. decollata como hospedador paraténico de T. cati, puesto que ha sido demostrada la infección en caracoles y gatos en un ambiente común

The prospective role of the land snail Rumina decollata as a potential paratenic host of Toxocara cati for domestic cats was studied. R. decollata specimens and cats' feces were collected from the open spaces of a Buenos Aires city hospital. Cats' feces were analyzed and snails were digested to identify T. cati stages, by morphological and molecular analyses. T. cati larval eggs were recovered from 23.5% (4/17) of the sampled feces. Twenty percent of snail pools (5/25) were confirmed to be positive for Toxocara spp. third larval stage (L3) by PCR. The mean value of total larvae recovered per gram of snail in all positive pools was 5.1, with a maximum 33 L3/pool. This is the first report of T. cati infective larvae in R. decollata domestic snail as a paratenic host, since the relationship between infection in snails and in cats' feces could be demonstrated in a common environment

Infection of two lymnaeid snails with fasciola gigantica in Giza, a field study

Population density of Lymnaea natalensis and L. columella and their natural infection with Fasciola gigantica were followed in two water bodies in Abou-Rawash area, Giza Governorate over two years. L. natalensis snails were more abundant during December- February, while L. columella snails had high density during autumn. According to the snail size, it was found that the reproduction of the two vector snails occurred in summer and early autumn. Fasciola was presented in 0.6 and 2.0% of the examined L. natalensis and L. columella snails, respectively. A high prevalence of F. gigantica in L. columella snails occurred in summer and early autumn, while their presence in L. natalensis was irregular. Naturally infected Lymnaea snails, with Fasciola, are usually of large size [>10 mm] of a given population sample