Ascocotyle ascolonga

Ascocotyle ascolonga

<p align="CENTER"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Ascocotyle ascolonga</b></i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b> (Witenberg, 1929) Travassos, 1930</b></span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>ETYMOLOGY:</b></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Ascos</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> (tube) + </span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>cotyle</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> (disk) [referring to the shape of the anterior sucker being elongated within the body] and </span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>asco</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> (tube) + longus (long).</span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>SYNONYMS:</b></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Parascocotyle ascolonga </i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Witenberg, 1929, </span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Phagicola</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>ascolonga</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> (Witenberg, 1929) Price, 1932.</span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>HISTORY:</b></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> This parasite was originally described from specimens collected in small numbers from dogs and cats in Palestine (Witenberg, 1929).</span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION:</b></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Palestine. This fluke has been reported from Egypt (Azim, 1938) where it was also collected from 17 of 48 cats under the name </span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Phagicola</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>ascolonga</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> (Witenberg, 1929) Price, 1932 (Kuntz and Chandler, 1956).</span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>LOCATION IN HOST:</b></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Small intestine.</span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>PARASITE IDENTIFICATION:</b></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> This small fluke is 0.5 to 0.7 mm in length with a width of 0.1 to 0.3 mm. The body is covered with small, scale-like spines. The oral aperture is surrounded by a single row of 16 large spines. There is a funnel-like appendix on the oral sucker that has been the basis for the various other generic placements of this species. The testis lie side by side in the hind extremity of the body. </span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> The eggs are 18 µm long by 9 µm in width, with thin shell, somewhat narrowed anteriorly and with distinctly visible opercula..</span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>LIFE CYCLE:</b></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Dogs were experimentally infected by feeding them brackish-water fish (</span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Tilapia</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>simonis</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> and </span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Tilapia</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>galilea</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;">) that contained metacercariae (Witenberg, 1929)</span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>CLINICAL PRESENTATION AND PATHOGENESIS:</b></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Thought to be asymptomatic.</span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>TREATMENT:</b></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Probably praziquantel, but not reported.</span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>EPIZOOTIOLOGY:</b></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Cats probably are infected by eating raw fish..</span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>HAZARD TO OTHER ANIMALS:</b></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> None. Although other hosts are infected, the major means of infection is through the ingestion of the fish intermediate host which requires that the appropriate snail also be available. Thus, infection of these other hosts will typically only occur in the wild.</span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>HAZARD TO HUMANS:</b></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> None. Humans theoretically could become infected if they ingested an infected piscine host.</span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>CONTROL/PREVENTION:</b></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Prevention of the ingestion of raw fish.</span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>REFERENCES:</b></span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Azim MA. 1938. On the intestinal helminths of dogs in Egypt. J Egypt Med Assoc 21:??????</span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Kuntz RE, Chandler AC. 1956. Studies on Egyptian trematodes with special reference to the Heterophyids of mammals. I. Adult flukes, with descriptions of </span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Phagicola</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>longicollis</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> n. sp., </span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Cynodiplostomum</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>namrui</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> n.sp., and a </span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Stephanoprora</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> from cats. J Parasitol. 42:445-459.</span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Witenberg G. 1929. Studies on the trematode family Heterophyidae. Ann Trop Med Parasitol 23:131-239</span></span></p>