Gastrointestinal helminths of stray cats in Alexandria, Egypt: A fecal examination survey study.

Abstract

This study investigates the prevalence of gastrointestinal (GI) helminths among stray cats in Alexandria city, Egypt. Between May 2013 and April 2015, a total of 170 fecal samples were randomly collected from cats and examined parasitologically. GI helminths were found in 58.23% of the samples, comprising cestodes (23.52%), nematodes (20%), and trematodes (14.70%). The prevalent cestodes found were Dipylidium caninum (18.82%), Hymenolepis spp. (3.52%), and Taenia taeniaeformis (1.17%). The prevalent nematodes were Toxocara cati (8.23%), Toxascaris leonina (8.32%), hook worms (1.76%), and lastly Trichuris sp., Physaloptera sp., and Strongyloides cati (0.58% for each). The trem\atodes eggs comprised Heterophyids (11.76%), Alaria spp. (1.76%) and Mesostepahnus spp. (1.17%). The current study highlights the high prevalence of GI helminths in stray cats in Alexandria, Egypt and provides new and updated results that may help in the effort to control these parasites. Further investigations of GI parasites detected in cats in Egypt, particularly of those that play a role in public health, are recommended.