Estrongilose pulmonar sintomática em felino

Abstract

Aelurostrongylus abstrusus is a common parasite found mostly in domestic cats, it causes a disease called feline pulmonary strongylosis, which is a disease that affects cats regardless of breed, age or sex. The main clinical signs of feline pulmonary strongylosis include common signs of several parasites such as apathy, dyspnea, diarrhea, colic and cough. The diagnosis of the disease is obtained from the performance of tracheobronchial washings, chest X-rays and, most importantly, the performance of stool examination. The study was carried out from the care of a female feline that was received on May 11, 2022 at the Veterinary Hospital of the Federal University of Uberlândia, presenting intense cough, apathy, dyspnea, hyporexia and diarrhea. A tracheobronchial lavage was performed on the animal, where the presence of parasites was verified for the first time. With the suspicion, the stool examination was requested, and, using the Baermann Method, larvae compatible with L1 of A. abstrusus were found. Based on the diagnosis, antiparasitic therapy with Fenbendazole, anti-inflammatory therapy with Prednisolone was instituted, in addition to the treatment already used before with Doxycycline and gastroprotective therapy with Omeprazole. In stool examinations subsequent to diagnosis, L1 larvae were found in three of them, being negative in the last four. Taking into account that Feline Pulmonary Strongylosis is a disease with nonspecific signs that are similar to other diseases, the present work demonstrates the importance of performing tracheobronchial lavage and stool examination as diagnostic techniques for detecting the parasite.