Aelurostrongylus abstrusus and Platynosomum illiciens (=Platynosomum fastosum) in domestic felines

Abstract

Aelurostrongylus abstrusus and Platynosomum illiciens (= P. fastosum) are species of pulmonary and hepatic parasites, respectively, that can affect domestic cats. The present manuscript describes two cases of domestic cats simultaneously parasitised by A. abstrusus and P. illiciens, treated at a university veterinary hospital in the city of Cuiabá, Mato Grosso. It addresses the clinical-epidemiological aspects, diagnosis, and treatment of parasitic infections. One of the cats had clinical signs consistent with both infections, while the other was oligosymptomatic with nonspecific clinical signs. They were diagnosed by coproparasitological examination and treated against A. abstrusus and P. illiciens with fembendazole and praziquantel, respectively. There was no follow-up for the cats after the treatment was administered, but the owners were informed that there was clinical improvement. This communication represents the first description of coinfection by A. abstrusus and P. illiciens in domestic cats in the state of Mato Grosso.