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Objectives: A study on the prevalence of stray cats infected with
parasitic helminthes in Tehran.
Design: Cross sectional study. Animals: One hundred stray cats captured from different urban
areas of Tehran.
Methods: One hundred stray cats were trapped from different
geographic regions of Tehran and were necropsied. Different organs
including: kidney, heart, liver, lungs, gastrointestinal tract and abdominal cavity were inspected for helminthic infection.
Statistical analysis: X2 test was used to show the relationship between different factors and parasitic infection and E ta coeffeciency
was used to presenting effects of these factors on the infection.
Results: Four species of helminthes including 3 nematodes, Toxocara cati (23%), Physaloptrapraeputialis (7%) and Toxascaris leonine
(2%) and one cestode, Diplopylidium nolleri (5%) were found in
gastrointestinal tract and only this organ was found infected in
examined cats.
Conclusion: Although for some species (e.g. T.cati 23%), the percentage of infection was relatively high, but with regard to the
mild intensity of the collected worms, they could not cause clinical
or subclinical symptoms. On the other hand, considering the contact
between cat and man especially children, through courtyard
environment or direct contact and visceral or ocular larva migration
produced by ascarids of dog and cat, the report of two species of Ascaris in the present study could be a health hazard for human
especially children.