Lethal Ozolaimus megatyphlon infection in a green iguana (Iguana iguana rhinolopa). 2007

Panayiotis Loukopoulos, and Anastasia Komnenou, and Elias Papadopoulos, and Vassilios Psychas
Pathology Laboratory, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.

An imported 2.5-yr-old female green iguana (Iguana iguana rhinolopa) kept in Greece was presented with a history of anorexia and allotriophagy of 1 mo duration. Upon clinical examination, it was cachectic and had severe abdominal distension and fibrous osteodystrophy. Despite treatment, it died a month later. On necropsy, massive accumulations of threadlike nematode parasites were observed in the large intestine, identified as Ozolaimus megatyphlon, a member of the Oxyuridae family of Pharyngodonidae, a usually nonpathogenic intestinal parasite of iguanas. To the authors' knowledge, its presence has not been reported previously in Europe, although one pathogenic infection has been reported previously in Japan. The animal was presumably infected before importation. Although death was attributed to the heavy parasitic overload, the poor diet and terrarium hygiene, and absence of an anthelminthic regime further contributed to the deterioration of the animal's condition. Recognition of this condition, which may be recently introduced or underdiagnosed, may help improve medical and trade standards concerning this species in practice.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007076 Iguanas Large herbivorous tropical American lizards. Iguana
D007411 Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic Infections of the INTESTINES with PARASITES, commonly involving PARASITIC WORMS. Infections with roundworms (NEMATODE INFECTIONS) and tapeworms (CESTODE INFECTIONS) are also known as HELMINTHIASIS. Parasitic Intestinal Diseases,Disease, Parasitic Intestinal,Diseases, Parasitic Intestinal,Intestinal Disease, Parasitic,Parasitic Intestinal Disease
D009348 Nematoda A phylum of unsegmented helminths with fundamental bilateral symmetry and secondary triradiate symmetry of the oral and esophageal structures. Many species are parasites. Phasmidia,Secernentea,Sipunculida
D009349 Nematode Infections Infections by nematodes, general or unspecified. Infections, Nematode,Infection, Nematode,Nematode Infection
D005260 Female Females
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D017809 Fatal Outcome Death resulting from the presence of a disease in an individual, as shown by a single case report or a limited number of patients. This should be differentiated from DEATH, the physiological cessation of life and from MORTALITY, an epidemiological or statistical concept. Fatal Outcomes,Outcome, Fatal,Outcomes, Fatal

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