Canis ISSN: 2398-2942
Taenia multiceps
Synonym(s): T. multiceps
Contributor(s): Dwight Bowman
Introduction
Classification
Taxonomy
- Class: Cestoda.
- Family: Taeniidae.
- Genus: Taenia.
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Clinical Effects
Epidemiology
Habitat
- Adult tapeworm in small intestine of rural dogs that are fed sheep heads or scavenge sheep, and in other Canidae.
- Segments and eggs in environment.
- Metacestode (coenurus) in CNS of sheep, goats and occasionally cattle (and man), and in the intramuscular and subcutaneous tissues of goats.
Lifecycle
- See lifecycle diagram
:
- Adult tapeworm.
- Gravid proglottid.
- Egg.
- Metacestode (cysticercus).
Transmission
Transmission to sheep
- Segments migrate out of anus and fall to the ground
.
- Segments passed in feces migrate out onto grass or soil.
- As segments migrate they leave a trail of thousands of eggs in a gelatinous film over the surface of grass, etc.
- Eggs left by segments on feces can be eaten by flies and deposited over pasture.
- Eggs eaten with herbage by sheep, goats or other animals.
Transmission to dog
- Metacestode (coenurus) in brain (muscles) of sheep
/goat eaten when the dog is scavenging or fed sheep heads.
Pathological effects
- Protective immunity after 2-3 infections in dogs has been described.
- No information is available concerning protective immunity in sheep, but sheep generally become infected in their first year of life.
In dogs
- The presence of tapeworms (1 or many) usually has little effect on the health of a well-fed dog, burdens are usually only 1-13 tapeworms.
- Irritation of a segment spontaneously migrating from the anus can cause 'scooting'.
- Very large numbers of worms in young, poorly-nourished dogs could reduce growth rates
.
- Very rarely, obstruction of the intestine from many hundreds of worms can occur.
In sheep, goats, cattle
- Oncospheres migrating in relatively large numbers in the central nervous system (CNS) of sheep or goats induce inflammation and 'acute' neurological disease 2-3 weeks after infection.
- The majority of cysts grow and cause pressure atrophy in the cerebral hemispheres or elsewhere in the CNS parenchyma; this induces 'chronic' disease of circling, papilledema, blindness, abnormal gait, hyperesthesia, etc.
- In goats, but not sheep, the coenurus can develop, presenting as a mass, in the intramuscular and subcutaneous tissues.
In man
- The coenurus grows primarily in the subarachnoid spaces, cisterns and ventricular spaces, interfering with cerebrospinal fluid pathways.
Control
Control via animal
- Anthelmintic treatment of dog.
- Dogs should be well-fed and prevented from scavenging, and should not be fed raw sheep heads.
Control via chemotherapies
- Anthelmintics have not been approved specifically for efficacy against T. multiceps.
- Drugs with efficacy against Taenia pisiformis should be used.
UK
USA
- Drugs to be used include praziquantel Praziquantel , epsiprantel, fenbendazole Fenbendazole.
Dichlorphenamide is not recommended.
Other countermeasures
Disease due to T. multiceps seems to decline rapidly and disappear on institution of an anthelmintic treatment control programme (treatment every 6 weeks with praziquantel) aimed at eradicating Echinococcus granulosus Echinococcus granulosus
Diagnosis
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Further Reading
Publications
Refereed papers
- Recent references from VetMed Resource and PubMed.
- Cabrera P A, Parietti S, Haran G, Benavidez U, Lloyd S, Perera G, Valledor S, Gemmell M A & Botto T (1996)Rates of reinfection with Echinococcus granulosus, Taenia hydatigena, Taenia ovis and other cestodes in a rural dog population in Uruguay. Intern J Parasitol 26, 79-83 (Methods for baseline analysis).
- Lloyd S, Martin S C, Walters T M H & Soulsby E J L (1991) Use of sentinel lambs for early monitoring of the South Powys Hydatidosis Control Scheme - prevalence of Echinococcus granulosus and some other helminths. Vet Rec 129, 73-76 (Surveillance of control).