Molecular identification of Spirometra erinaceieuropaei infection in a dog with its successful treatment
Niranjana Sahoo, Sonali Sahoo, Bijayendranath Mohanty, Hemant Kumar Khuntia, Bikash Kumar Behera and Sourabh Ranjan Hota
Present report deals with molecular diagnosis of Spirometra erinaceieuropaei infection in a 10-month-old labrador bitch weighing 28 kg body weight with its successful treatment. The dog was passing white flat worms at 7-10 days interval. Interrogation of owner revealed that the pet had the fascination of eating a particular species of frog identified as Uperodon taprobanica found in the premises. Gross examination of tapeworm segments showed centrally located uterine pore measuring an average of 10.0 mm width and 2.0 mm length. There was presence of operculated yellowish-brown coloured eggs pointed at either end in the stool. Molecular test confirmed Spirometra erinaceieuropaei infection with a product size of 440 bp. Praziquantel @ 150 mg daily orally for three consecutive days reduced pre-treatment faecal EPG from1180 to 950(19.5%), 354(70.0%) and 0 on1, 3 and 7-day post treatment, respectively. Excretion of adult parasites in the faeces disappeared upto 90-dayspost treatment.