Experimental infection of Ancylostoma braziliense in dogs and cats in Thailand. I. Morphology, route of infection, worm burden and egg output

Abstract

A. braziliense was experimentally administered by the oral and cutaneous routes to 8 cats and 8 dogs. The hematological changes, egg count, sex, number, and size of worms were recorded during the course of 8-10 wk. There were no significant changes in hemoglobin and hematocrit values in cats and dogs which harboured 43 to 6309 worms. The ratios of larvae introduced to worms recovered ranged from 5:1 to 17:1 and 29:1 to 195:1 in cats infected by the oral and cutaneous routes, respectively. The corresponding figures in dogs were 7:1 to 142:1 and 2:1 to 206:1, respectively. There was a significant difference between the size of adult worms recovered from dogs and from cats; in addition, a wide variation in size was recorded between worms recovered from each cat. The prepatent period for A. braziliense administered per os was shorter than when given by the cutaneous route both in dogs and cats. Since in cats the adult worms were smaller, the prepatent period longer and the ratio of the number of larvae introduced to worms recovered was lower, than noted in dogs, it would seem that cats are less suitable than dogs as hosts for this species of hookworm.