Physaloptera pseudopraeputialis

Physaloptera pseudopraeputialis

<p align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Physaloptera pseudopraeputialis</b></i></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b> Yutuc, 1953</b></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-size: medium;"> These worms were recovered from the stomachs of 28 of 78 necropsied cats. The cats were from Manilla, Quezon City, and Santa Cruz in the Philippines. These cats were part of an efficacy trial for cestocidal products, and no clinical signs of the infections were noted in any of the animals. The maximum number of worms recovered from a single cat was 32. Typically, the white to whitish-pink worms were recovered attached firmly to the mucosa of the stomach by their anterior ends. There were no lesions associated with the sites of attachment. In both the males and females the posterior of the body is covered by a preputial-like sheath. The males were 21 to 34 mm long; the right spicules were 0.60 to 0.70 mm long, and the left spicules were 0.85 to 1.20 mm long. The females were 27 to 444 mm long with an esophagus that was 4.4 to 6.4 mm long. The vulva was located about 10 to 19 mm behind the anterior end. The eggs were 50 μm to 60 μm long, ovoid, and had a thick shell. The eggs were larvated when laid. In none of the fecal samples from the 28 positive cats were eggs identified, although there is no indication given of the method used for fecal analysis. It was felt that this species differed from </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Physaloptera</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>praeputialis</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> based on the arrangement of the papillae on the male tail and the appearance of the teeth on the anterior end. </span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Tacal and Corpuz (1962) described a case where 55 worms were found in the stomach of a cat that was known to be infected with Physaloptera and which gradually became emaciated, depressed, and anorectic. The cat died, and the necropsy revealed frothy exudate in the bronchi, and that the left lung was edematous and congested. The apical lobe of the right lung was collapsed. Three adult </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Physaloptera pseudopraeputialis</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> were recovered from the larynx and 55 of these worms were recovered from the stomach of this cat. It is suggested that the worms in the larynx either made their way there as larvae or that they were regurgitated and subsequently inhaled.</span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>REFERENCES:</b></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-size: medium;">Tacal JV, Corpuz ZV. 1962. Abnormal location of the stomach worm, </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Physaloptera pseudopraeputialis</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;">, in a cat. JAVMA 140:799-800.</span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yutuc LM. 1953. </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Physaloptera</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>pseudopraeputialis</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> n. sp. - a stomach worm of the cat (Nematoda: Physalopterinae). Philip J Sci 82:221-226.</span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yutuc LM, Cosio HF. 1953. The incidence and frequency distribution of parasitic worms in naturally infected cats. Tharpar Commem Vol, pages 305-308.</span></p>