An Additional Case Report on Toxascaris leonina Infection in Dogs and Experimental Treatment of the Infection

Abstract

An outbreak and a spontaneous case of Toxascaris leonina infection were previously reported by the authors among dogs in Tokyo. After that, two additional cases of this infection were observed among dogs in different areas of the same city.Clinical experiences were detailed. Routine doses of a piperazine compound and a diphenthane-toluene complex were found effective.
As in the previous experiment, 9 dogs, including puppies, were successfully infected when fed infective embryonated eggs of this parasite. The eggs began to appear in their feces 54 to 77 days after infection. Then the 9 dogs were treated experimentally with such anthelmintics as toluene, tetrachlorethylene, n-butyl-chloride, and a piperazine compound which had been employed common against Toxocara canis in dogs. As a result, tetrachlorethylene, n-butyl-chloride, and the piperazine compound, at routine doses against this parasite, showed a complete or nearly complete anthelmintic effect.
This parasite had been rarely known in Japan. Nevertheless, 2 cases of this infection were revealed in a year or so, in addition to the cases reported previously by the authors. Moreover, this parasite was recovered contemporaneously in Korea and Saghalien. Therefore, a question was aroused on its distribution in Japan.
A review on Japanese papers concerning helminthological surveys among dogs was presented.
Several papers reported the occurrence of T. canis infection among adult dogs. The authors are of opinion that an ascarid that was really T. leonina might have been erroneously referred to as T. canis in many cases.