Gurltia paralysans infection in a domestic cat in the São Paulo state, southeastern Brazil

Abstract

Gurltia paralysans is a nematode first described in 1933 in Chile, causing a syndrome called feline crural parasitic paraplegia. Insects, mollusks, frogs, lizards, and rodents are paratenic hosts of this nematode, and cats probably become infected by ingesting them. This report aims to discuss the main anatomopathological findings of gurltiosis in a cat submitted to necropsy in a laboratory in Ribeirão Preto city, São Paulo state, southeastern Brazil, being the first case reported in this state. The main necroscopic findings were extramedullary reddened areas below the leptomeninges in the cervical and lumbar segments of the spinal cord. The histopathological examination showed marked thickening of the leptomeninges in the lumbar segment of the spinal cord, with marked neovascularization and fibrosis associated with eosinophilic and mononuclear inflammatory infiltration, as well as the presence of intravascular nematodes. The diagnosis of this lesion was chronic segmental meningomyelitis associated with intralesional parasites. Although uncommon, feline gurltiosis is a neglected parasitic disease that should be included as a differential diagnosis of paraparesis in domestic cats.

Paraparesis due to angio-neurotropic Gurltia paralysans in a domestic cat (Felis catus) and retrospective study on feline gurltiosis cases in South America

“…The infective third-stage larvae (L3) migrate through the mucosal layer of the digestive system to the venous or lymphatic system of the abdominal viscera, and then via veins connections or anastomosis of the azygos or caval venous system with thoracic, lumbar or sacral intervertebral veins to reach the vertebral venous plexus. These vascular connections could also explain the presence of G. paralysans eggs and adults in remote anatomic sites, such as the cerebrum, cerebellum and, in more recent reports, in the anterior chamber of the eye (14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19).…”