ANCYLOSTOMATOIDEA

ANCYLOSTOMATOIDEA

<p align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>ANCYLOSTOMATOIDEA</b></span></p> &nbsp; <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-size: medium;"> The cat is host to several species of worms that are members of the Ancylostomatoidea. The disease most typically associated with hookworm infection is anemia due to blood loss in the intestine that is caused by the adult worms. These nematodes are found as adults in the small intestine and are characterized by the possession of a copulatory bursa, a large dorsally flexed buccal cavity that is armed on its anterior edge with either teeth or cutting plates, and which tend to be one to three centimeters long. Although cats are probably often infected by the penetration of the skin by the infective third-stage larvae of this worm, the lrvae are also capable of utilizing small vertebrates as paratenic hosts. It is not known to what extent the hookworms of the cat utilize transmammary infection which is a very common mode of transmission for the canine hookworm, </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Ancylostoma</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>caninum</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;">. </span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-size: medium;"> The two genera of worms present in the cat are </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Ancylostoma</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> and </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Uncinaria</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;">. The genus </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Ancylostoma</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> is characterized by the possession of large teeth on the front of the buccal capsule, while the genus </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Uncinaria</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> is characterized by the possession of cutting plates on the front of the buccal capsule. The most common hookworm of the cat is probably </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Ancylostoma</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>tubaeforme</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;">. In coastal areas of Africa and the Americas, another hookworm of the cat, </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Ancylostoma</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>braziliense</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> is found that is a parasite that cats share with dogs. A similar worm, </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Ancylostoma</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>ceylanicum</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;">, is found in cats, dogs, and humans in Asia. Another worm, </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Ancylostoma</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>pleuridentatum</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> (Alessandrini, 1905) Schwartz, 1927 is very similar to</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i> Ancylostoma braziliense</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;">, but has only been reported from members of the Felidae other than the domestic cat. This species differs from </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Ancylostoma</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>braziliense</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> in that there are three small tooth-like projections on each size of the buccal capsule opposite to the large teeth present on front of the buccal capsule. </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Uncinaria</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>stenocephala</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> has only rarely been reported from the cat.</span></p>