Ascocotyle minuta

Ascocotyle minuta

<p align="CENTER"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Ascocotyle minuta</b></i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b> Looss, 1899</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>minuta</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> (small) [referring to the small size].</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>Phagicola minuta</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> (Looss, 1899) Faust, 1920; </span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Parascocotyle minuta</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> (Looss, 1899) Stunkard and Haviland 1924.</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 dogs and cats in Egypt; it was also found at this time in a heron </span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Ardea cinerea</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;">.</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;"> Egypt.</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 less than 0.5 mm in length. The oral sucker bears approximately 18 to 20 hooklets and leads into the conical prepharynx that is characteristic of this genus. The genital opening is just anterior to the ventral sucker. Most of the reproductive organs are posterior to the ventral sucker. The paired testes are symmetrical and located at the posterior end of the body.</span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> The eggs have a golden brown shell and are 23 to 24 µm long by 14 µm in width.</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;"> Assumed to use a piscine intermediate host.</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 become 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;">Looss A. 1899. Weitere Beiträge sur Kenntnis der Trematodenfauna Aegyptens, zugleich Versuch einer natürlichen Gliederung des Genus </span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Distomum</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Retzius. Zool Jahrb Syst 12:521-784.</span></span></p>