Protozoonoses are diseases caused by protozoa, single-celled organisms that can only be detected under a microscope. Infection with protozoa usually occurs after ingestion of cysts, which, upon entering the intestine, under favorable conditions, transform there into mature forms that cause disease.
3.1. Toxoplasmosis
Deliver exact diagnosis for toxoplasmosis is possible only with the help laboratory research feces
Symptoms: redness of the cat's eyes, emaciation, abortion, causeless diarrhea. At acute form disease in kittens, fever, cough, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, drowsiness, swollen lymph nodes, diarrhea, jaundice and central nervous system disorder are observed. nervous system. If your cat has these symptoms, you should immediately consult a veterinarian.
Treatment A cat suffering from toxoplasmosis can only be treated by a veterinarian. Therapy with the use of chemical coccide, sulfonamides, as well as immunofan in combination with gamavit and clindamycin is effective (orally for 2 weeks in total daily dose 25-50 mg per 1 kg of body weight).
3.2. Coccidiosis
3.3. Leishmaniasis
Symptoms: in the acute form, fever, anemia quickly develops, appetite disappears, weakness increases, the mucous membranes of the eyes, eyelids, nose become inflamed and then ulcerated, skin lesions are observed, renal failure. At chronic form more often - dryness and skin lesions.
Treatment: meglumine antimoniate (glucantim), allopurinol, fungizone, pentamidine, antimony preparations, gamavit.
3.4. Blastocystosis
Excited by microorganisms from genera Isospora And Eimeria, therefore the disease is often considered related or is called eimeriosis. Coccidiosis also occurs in other animals, as well as in humans, but in those cases the causative agent is other types of coccidia.
Oocysts invade the mucous membrane and submucosal layer of the intestine
Coccidia may for a long time don't show yourself gradually multiplying in the intestines. An exacerbation, as a rule, begins during a period of weakened immunity, which is typical for immunodeficiency, in young or old age. Symptoms and treatment of coccidiosis in cats are largely determined by individual resistance.
Symptoms
The first symptoms appear a week after infection. The period may vary depending on the strength of the pet’s immunity. The younger the kitten, the earlier it starts and the more severe it gets. clinical course diseases. In adult cats, the disease tends to progress to chronic stage.
When alarming symptoms You should take your cat to the vet immediately
Basically, the disease occurs against a background of weakened immunity and therefore may be accompanied by the development other pathologies, intestinal infections And helminthiasis. The main symptoms in the acute stage of coccidiosis are as follows:
- apathetic behavior;
- temperature increase by several degrees;
- watery diffuse diarrhea several times a day;
- mucus and blood in feces;
- swelling of the liver and gall bladder;
- the appearance of yellowness on the mucous membranes;
- intestinal malabsorption and dehydration;
- the appearance of muscle cramps.
As the disease progresses to the chronic stage, there is a gradual general deterioration conditions, pain, poor coat quality, apathy and lack of appetite. With constant dysbiosis, intestinal functions are disrupted, which leads to necrotic changes. It is extremely important to begin treatment for coccidiosis in cats promptly.
Diagnosis and treatment
Coccidia in cats is detected by microscopic analysis of feces. To facilitate stool examination, various staining techniques can be used. The detected oocysts serve as proof that the cat actually has coccidiosis.
There are many antiprotozoal medications available for pets.
However acute stage The disease usually occurs during the asexual period of pathogen reproduction, when oocysts have not yet formed. For this reason, veterinarians often resort to differential diagnostics, which allows you to distinguish coccidiosis from other intestinal infections characteristic of cats.
After confirming the diagnosis it is necessary to isolate the cat from other animals, and burn her feces. After this, it is necessary to thoroughly disinfect the home to avoid the spread of the disease. An isolated cat should eat well and drink plenty of water to replenish lost fluids.
The treatment itself is based on the use of antiprotozoal drugs, such as Sulfadimethoxine and Trimethoprim-Sulfadiazine. The cat's body is supported by administering isotonic glucose and various solutions that replenish the amount of fluid in the body.
Symptomatic therapy is also carried out: the cat is prescribed vitamin complexes, as well as anti-inflammatory drugs to restore the functions of the intestinal mucosa. To prevent your pet from becoming a lifelong carrier of coccidia, you should take your cat to the veterinarian when the first alarming symptoms appear.
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Development cycle. Life cycle The development of coccidia is characterized by three periods:
1. Schizogony.
2. Gametogony.
3. Sporogony.
The essence of gametogony is that subsequent generations of schizonts form merozoites, which penetrate the host cell and turn into mononuclear trophozoites. Then macrogametocytes and microgametocytes are formed from mononuclear trophozoites. Macrohematocytes turn into macrogametes. In microgametocytes, the nucleus divides, resulting in the formation of small male cells - microgametes. After macrogametes and microgametes are formed, they fuse to form a copula or zygote. The zygote is surrounded by a membrane and turns into an oocyst. Oocysts, depending on the species, can have a wide variety of shapes and sizes. They all have a double-circuited membrane and granular cytoplasm. Such oocysts leave the cat’s body during external environment and go through the sporogony stage. In the external environment, in the presence of heat, moisture and oxygen, four spores are formed in the oocyst and each of them contains two sporozoites. With the formation of spores and sporozoites in the oocyst, sporogony ends. Such oocysts become mature and, when they enter the cat’s body, infect it.
Epizootological data. Coccidiosis is a widespread infection in cats. Most often, kittens under one year of age suffer from coccidiosis. In older cats, the disease occurs in mild form or asymptomatic. Such cats are a source of infestation in kittens.
Cats are infected with coccidiosis through food, water, and contaminated care items (bowls, toys, etc.) that are infested with coccidia oocysts.
Kittens often become infected through their mother's contaminated nipples, as well as her fur when licking her.
Severe disturbances in feeding and keeping cats can provoke the disease in cats:
- Abrupt change in feeding regime;
- Stressful condition associated with weaning a kitten from its mother;
- Violation of zoohygienic conditions of detention;
- Infectious diseases;
- Presence of helminthic diseases ();
Oocysts are very stable in the external environment and are able to remain viable for up to a year or more, but at the same time, when they dry out, they quickly die, especially when exposed to sun rays and heating.
Insects (flies), rodents (rats, mice) and birds can be mechanical carriers of the disease.
Coccidiosis in cats is recorded at any time of the year.
Pathogenesis. Cocdia once in the cat's intestines, penetrate into epithelial cells mucous membranes, destroy them, causing mechanical damage to the intestinal mucosa. Pathogenic microorganisms (bacteria and viruses) penetrate into such damaged areas of the intestine, which aggravate the course of coccidiosis, often leading to the development of hemorrhagic inflammation of the intestine, and then the formation of foci of necrosis. As a result of all this, entire sections of the cat's intestines are switched off from the digestive process. In the small intestine, the main type of digestion, membrane digestion, is disrupted. There is a violation of hydrolysis and absorption of nutrients; as a result, the cat develops chronic fasting body. Inflammatory processes on the mucous membrane and its necrosis increases the accumulation of exudate in the intestinal lumen, which complicates the absorption of fluid into the animal’s body. As a result of all these processes in the intestines, the cat develops diarrhea, which creates a negative water balance for the body, an increase in blood viscosity occurs, and the work of the heart becomes difficult, which ultimately leads to the death of the cat.
Clinical picture. The incubation period for coccidiosis is from 7-9 days, sometimes up to 2 weeks, depending on general condition the animal's body, the resistance of its immune system.
The disease is sometimes divided into several forms based on the location of the coccidia. However, most researchers note that the disease occurs in cats mainly in a mixed form with primary damage to the intestines. In the future in pathological process in cats, the liver, heart, spleen, kidneys and other important organs are involved. At the onset of the disease, damage occurs to the small and large intestines. After incubation period in kittens, less often in adult cats, lethargy appears, they become inactive, and sharp depression sets in. The appetite of a sick animal is reduced or absent. A sick cat lies on its stomach most of the time. The abdomen on palpation is tense, swollen (), painful. Sometimes vomiting is observed (). Visible mucous membranes of the eyes and oral cavity pale, sometimes icteric. The cat develops diarrhea (), the stools are liquid with a lot of mucus, sometimes bloody. At acute course body temperature rises to 40 degrees or more. When does a cat develop coma, the temperature drops below normal.
At chronic course coccidiosis, the cat periodically vomits, diarrhea may alternate with constipation (). Weakness, apathy appear, the coat loses its shine and becomes dull. Progressive exhaustion begins to appear (). Dysbacteriosis develops. Against the background of weakened immunity, other diseases develop, including the defeat of the cat by helminthic infestation.
Kittens infected with coccidiosis are stunted and lose weight. The hair and coat of sick animals becomes dull, brittle and disheveled. Some cats have polyuria ( frequent urination). Sometimes the secretion of saliva increases. Saliva becomes thick and viscous. Catarrhal inflammation of the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose and conjunctiva may develop. In the corners of the dog's eyes and nasal openings, purulent exudate accumulates, which then dries out, forming crusts.
With liver damage, cats become weaker, complain of pain on palpation in the right hypochondrium, meow, and sometimes become aggressive. The kittens are losing a lot of weight and signs of rickets appear. The yellowness of the mucous membranes increases (). When the nervous system is involved in the pathological process, the cat may have various types of convulsions, less often paresis and paralysis of the limbs and some sphincters.
Pathological changes. Dead body dead cat exhausted Visible mucous membranes are anemic and icteric. The mucous membrane of the small and sometimes large intestine is thickened and catarrhally inflamed. In severe acute coccidiosis, hemorrhagic and even diphtheritic inflammation of the intestinal mucosa occurs. The affected liver and spleen are significantly enlarged and degenerated. The bile ducts are dilated, the walls bile ducts thickened. On the surface of the liver or in the parenchyma, whitish nodules the size of a millet grain or a pea can be seen. These nodules are filled with cheesy contents and contain many oocysts.
In the chronic course of coccidiosis, the mucous membrane of the small, less often large, intestine is slightly thickened, gray and dotted with whitish, dense nodules filled with coccidia.
Diagnosis. Veterinary specialists make a comprehensive diagnosis of coccidiosis, taking into account epizootic, clinical and pathological data, as well as microscopic examination of fecal matter using the Darling method.
Differential diagnosis. Coccidiosis must be differentiated from isospores, sarcocystosis, poisoning (,), as well as such infectious diseases such as parvovirus enteritis, leptospirosis (), etc. To exclude infectious diseases, pathological material is sent to a veterinary laboratory. Poisoning is excluded by detailed collection of anamnestic data.
Treatment. Treatment of coccidiosis should be comprehensive. Treatment begins with prescribing a diet for the sick cat. The feeding ration should include foods that are easily digestible and that are not irritating to the digestive tract: meat and fish broths, decoctions medicinal herbs, especially flax seeds and rice, dairy products– kefir, curdled milk, acidophilus, bifidok, bifiline, etc., raw chicken eggs preferably purchased from owners of private household plots and peasant farms, liquid rice or oatmeal on water and beef broth.
In treatment regimens, veterinary specialists include various coccidiostats - chemical coccide for 3 days. It is given with food at the rate of 0.024 g per 1 kg of cat’s body weight. In addition to it, the following are successfully used: Baycox 5%, coccidin, coccidiovitis, amprolium, farmcoccid, toltrazuril, etc. The dose and course of treatment for coccidiosis should be prescribed by a veterinarian at the clinic.
In the absence of coccidiostats, they can be replaced with sulfonamide drugs: sulfadimezine or norsulfazole. These drugs are dissolved in water and fed with it for 5-7 days or mixed with food at the rate of 0.01 - 0.05 g/kg. Sulfadimethoxine is prescribed to a sick cat at a dose of 0.1-0.2 g/kg with food, and in the next four days at a dose of 0.05-0.1 g/kg; trimethoprim-sulfadiazine. More best effect achieved with the simultaneous use of sulfonamides and antibiotics. Antibiotics are used in therapeutic doses.
Good for coccidiosis therapeutic effect gives the use of nitrofuran drugs (furadonin and furozolidone).
Symptomatic treatment should include vitamins, dehydration therapy is carried out - the use of saline, rheosorbilact, glucose; treatment of enteritis and damaged epithelium - traumeel, verakop; hepatoprotectors (katozol), treatment of dysbacteriosis – lactobacterin, vetom; antiallergic and hemostatic drugs.
Prevention. Prevention of coccidiosis should be based on strict compliance by cat owners with zoohygienic rules of keeping. Cats are kept clean, in dry, well-ventilated areas. While walking, avoid contact with stray cats. Based on the fact that coccidiosis spreads when it enters the external environment with feces, feces are collected and burned. Completely eliminate the possibility of contamination of food and water with coccidiosis oocysts. Considering that most household disinfectants are not very effective against coccidia, use a 10% ammonia solution. Dishes and care items must be washed and disinfected regularly and thoroughly.
Treat regularly for helminthic diseases.
In order to maintain the proper level of immunity of cats, owners must provide adequate feeding; the feeding diet must be balanced according to nutrients and vitamins.
Source of isosporosis V wildlife for cats are rodents, although many vertebrates can be intermediate hosts. When eaten raw meat Infected animals, cats and dogs, can also become infected with isosporosis. The active period of oocyst excretion in feces after primary infection is on average 5-10 days. If reinfection has occurred (the cat has eaten its own oocysts again), then the isospores are distributed throughout the organs and tissues of the animal, chronic, often asymptomatic carrier.
Severity of the disease depends on the amount of isospores that enter the animal’s body. Sometimes owners may not even realize that their pet is sick. But in stressful situations for the body, isosporosis begins to progress and manifest itself as follows: clinical signs like frequent bowel movements unformed feces With a large amount of mucus and streaks of blood, loss of appetite, anorexia. Since the favorite place of isospores in the body of dogs and cats is the intestinal epithelium, other symptoms of enterocolitis, complicated by the proliferation of secondary bacterial microflora.
Diagnosis of cystoisosporosis
Diagnosis of cystoisosporosis is carried out in a veterinary laboratory after contacting veterinarian! For the study, fresh feces are taken, collected in the cleanest possible conditions and in a special container, which can be purchased in human pharmacies. If a cat uses a litter box, the owners must clean the biomaterial from the litter, otherwise the laboratory may refuse to conduct the test. After the course of treatment, a stool test is also taken (sometimes several samples are required - up to 3 negative results) to confirm the effectiveness of the prescribed course.
Treatment of cystoisosporosis
Treatment cystoisosporosis, taking into account the sensitivity of the pathogen to antibacterial drugs sulfonamide and nitrofuran series, as well as eimeriostatics, must be comprehensive and long-lasting. In addition to the above drugs, the combined use of gastroprotectors to protect the mucous membrane is recommended gastrointestinal tract, antibiotics wide range action and metronidazole to suppress secondary bacterial microflora, antispasmodic and adsorbent medicines as symptomatic therapy and probiotic preparations to normalize intestinal microflora. For anorexia and dehydration, subcutaneous or intravenous infusions of solutions and vitamins are recommended.
It is advisable to carry outdisinfection of placesmaintenance and care items using alkaline solutions. In areas where cases of isosporosis have been reported, exclude free walking of dogs and cats and the possibility of them eating rodents or plants on which oocysts of the pathogen may remain.If your animal shows signs of cystoisosporosis, we are always happy to see you at veterinary clinic"VetState" 7 days a week, 365 days a year from 10.00 to 21.00
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