Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, Teramo 64100, Italy.
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, Teramo 64100, Italy.
Vet Parasitol. 2024 Oct;331:110274. doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2024.110274. Epub 2024 Jul 25.
The tapeworm Dipylidium caninum is the most widely distributed cestode infecting dogs, cats, and sometimes humans, worldwide. The diagnosis of the infection caused by D. caninum is achieved via the visualization of proglottids in feces or with traditional microscopic tests, but both lack sensitivity. The present study has evaluated and compared the diagnostic performance of a PCR protocol on different feline biological samples to detect D. caninum. A sample of feces, a Scotch tape test from the perianal area, and a rectal swab were collected from a total of 100 privately owned cats from Italy and Greece. All fecal samples were subjected to macroscopic examination and to floatation. Based on the results of the above tests the cats were divided in three groups, i.e. (i) cats positive for D. caninum (regardless of positivity for other endoparasites (Group A; n = 50 cats), (ii) cats negative for D. caninum but infected by other helminths (Group B; n = 25 cats), and (iii) cats negative for intestinal endoparasites (Group C; n = 25 cats). For each sample, the DNA was extracted from feces, floatation supernatant, Scotch tape test and rectal swabs and subjected to PCR. For 33 cats from Group A, at least one sample type scored positive at PCR. Of these, all were PCR-positive in the floatation aliquot, while nine and one cats were positive by PCR on feces and Scotch tape test, respectively. Swabs were negative by PCR for all the cats. None of the samples from cats of Groups B and C was positive by any PCR. Sequences obtained from amplicons generated from samples of cats enrolled in Italy had 99-100 % identity with the recently described D. caninum feline genotype. The data presented here suggest that PCR could be a useful tool for diagnosing D. caninum infections, under certain circumstances, e.g. when proglottids are unidentified, unseen or overlooked, even though it has limitations, e.g. false negative results due to fecal PCR inhibitors, uneven distribution of parasitic elements, or to intermittent proglottid and/or egg shedding. Thus, it may not be, currently, the best diagnostic choice for dipylidiosis.
犬复孔绦虫是分布最广泛的感染犬、猫，有时也感染人类的绦虫。犬复孔绦虫感染的诊断通过在粪便中观察孕节或传统显微镜检查来实现，但这两种方法都缺乏敏感性。本研究评估并比较了不同猫科动物生物样本的 PCR 方案检测犬复孔绦虫的诊断性能。从意大利和希腊的 100 只私人拥有的猫中采集粪便、肛周拭子和直肠拭子。所有粪便样本均进行了宏观检查和漂浮。根据上述测试的结果，将猫分为三组，即(i) 犬复孔绦虫阳性（无论其他内寄生虫是否阳性 (A 组；n = 50 只猫)，(ii) 犬复孔绦虫阴性但感染其他蠕虫（B 组；n = 25 只猫），和 (iii) 肠道内寄生虫阴性（C 组；n = 25 只猫）。对于每个样本，从粪便、漂浮上清液、肛周拭子和直肠拭子中提取 DNA，并进行 PCR。对于 A 组的 33 只猫，至少有一种样本类型在 PCR 中呈阳性。其中，所有漂浮样本的 PCR 均为阳性，粪便和肛周拭子的 PCR 阳性分别有 9 只和 1 只猫。所有猫的拭子均为 PCR 阴性。B 组和 C 组的猫的样本均未通过任何 PCR 呈阳性。从意大利猫科动物样本中获得的扩增子序列与最近描述的犬复孔绦虫猫基因型具有 99-100%的同一性。这里提供的数据表明，PCR 可以成为诊断犬复孔绦虫感染的有用工具，尤其是在孕节无法识别、未观察到或被忽视的情况下，尽管它存在一些局限性，例如由于粪便 PCR 抑制剂、寄生虫元素分布不均、或间歇性孕节和/或卵脱落而导致的假阴性结果。因此，目前它可能不是诊断复孔绦虫病的最佳选择。
