First ocular report of Gurltia paralysans (Wolffhügel, 1933) in cat

Abstract

A two-year-old cat from Tenerife, Canary Islands (Spain), presented with two months history of uveitis in the left eye. It had been treated for two months but still showed an active uveitis. After new treatment, eye examination showed a mobile worm in the anterior chamber. Following surgical removal, the worm was obtained. Morphological study revealed that it was a male metastrongyloid nematode (Nematoda: Metastrongyloidea) with caudal bursa and two similar spicules. Molecular tools based on the 18Sr RNA gene sequence identified the parasite as Gurltia paralysans, which is a neurotropic nematode previously found in South America. Therefore, this article describes the first report of ophthalmic case of parasitism by G. paralysans, and cites for first time this species out of South America.

Intra Vitam Diagnosis of Neglected Gurltia paralysans Infections in Domestic Cats (Felis catus) by a Commercial Serology Test for Canine Angiostrongylosis and Insights into Clinical and Histopathological Findings—Four-Case Report

“…Usual neurologic manifestations in these cases include symmetric and asymmetric paraparesis/paraplegia, pelvic limb ataxia, spinal hyperesthesia, sphincter disturbances (urethral and anal), altered pelvic limb spinal reflexes and tail paralysis similar to signs observed in the confirmed feline gurltiosis cases of this study. Ocular migration and associated chorioretinitis and posterior synechiae have been reported in one case with G. paralysans infection; however, these was not observed in the present study [8]. It has been postulated that G. paralysans nematodes migrate into vessels through the retrograde vertebral venous plexus from abdominal veins connections to reach their specific anatomic sites of the spinal cord between the thoracolumbar (T3-L3), lumbosacral (L4-S3) and caudal segments producing the associated parasitic myelopathies [2,9].…”

“…Three of the ten felines examined in this study were positive for infections with A. abstrusus, a metastrongyloid nematode that also belongs to the family Angiostrongylidae and reported to occur in domestic and wild cats with symptoms varying from subclinical to fatal respiratory diseases [22,23]. Although, the Baermann funnel technique is the most frequently used method for the diagnosis of metastrongyloid infections, this technique has failed so far to detect patent G. paralysans infections, particularly during periods when there is no larval removal independent of the existence of clinical signs [8,24]. As mentioned, the complete life cycle of G. paralysans to date is still unknown; however, it is presumed that it could share obligate intermediate hosts (terrestrial slugs/snails) and/or paratenic hosts (lizards, amphibians, birds, rodents) of other closely related metastrongyloid feline nematodes present in Chilean territories, such as A. abstrusus [2], A. chabaudi and Troglostrongylus brevior [21].…”

“…Gurltia paralysans (Nematoda: Order Strongylida; Family Angiostrongylidae) is a metastrongyloid parasite which causes chronic meningomyelitis in domestic cats (Felis catus) and some wild felids from the genus Leopardus such as the kodkod or guigna (Leopardus guigna) and margay (Leopardus triginus) [1][2][3]. Its geographic distribution includes areas of Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, and Brazil and recently Tenerife Island, Spain [2,[4][5][6][7][8]. The nematode mainly dwells within feline leptomeningeal veins and parenchyma of the spinal cord, producing progressive paraparesis, paraplegia, fecal or urinary incontinence, and/or tail paralysis [1,2,9] (Figure 1).…”

“…Imaging studies (computed tomography (CT), myelography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)) indicate that G. paralysans infections induce lesions in the thoracolumbar, lumbar, or sacral regions, suggesting diffuse inflammatory spinal cord lesions resulting in severe myelitis [9] or meningomyelitis [1]. While chronic myelopathy signs are frequently associated with feline gurltiosis, a recent case of ectopic nematode localization, namely in the anterior chamber of the eye resulting in ocular feline gurltiosis form, was recently reported [8]. Necropsy findings in G. paralysans-infected domestic cats (F. catus) and wild felids include diffuse submeningeal congestion of lumbar, sacral, coccygeal spinal cord segments, and presence of several intravascular adult nematodes, larvae and pre-adult stages have been identified histologically in the meningeal veins of the spinal cord, with subsequent congestion, thrombosis, and thickening of subarachnoidal vessels [1,2,7,9].…”

Ophthalmic Thelazia callipaeda infections: first feline and new canine imported cases in Germany

“…Besides T. callipaeda , other nematode parasites have been described to cause canine [e.g. Onchocerca spp., Angiostrongylus vasorum and Dirofilaria repens (Hermosilla et al 2005a , b ; Colella et al 2016b )], feline [e. g. Onchocerca lupi (Labelle et al 2011 ) and Gurltia paralysans (Udiz-Rodríguez et al 2018 )] and human ( O. lupi and D. repens ) ocular infections. Hence, in case of conjunctivitis, besides viral or bacterial aetiology, differential diagnosis should include parasitic agents as well (Magnis et al 2010 ).…”