Treatment options
Many veterinary practices have advocated treating dogs and cats with wormers every 3 months to prevent infection with endoparasites , with the aim of reducing animal health and welfare issues and the risk to human health [ 8 ] . However , it is becoming more evident that parasiticide products can contaminate the environment and impact on a range of invertebrates . There is also a concern that helminths of horses and farm animals are developing resistance to a number of parasiticide products due to their overuse , but this has not yet been observed in dogs and cats .
Nevertheless , the trend now is to have a risk-based approach to the use of parasiticides , and a five-point plan has been created by the British Veterinary Association ( BVA ), British Small Animal Veterinary Association ( BSAVA ) and British Veterinary Zoological Society ( BVZS ) to help veterinary surgeons to apply a more targeted method [ 9 ] . A poster is available to download for display in veterinary practices [ 10 ] , which identifies the five points to consider along with tips on how to implement the changes . They are also outlined in Table 3 .
Table 3 . The five points in the BVA / BSAVA / BVZS plan for responsible parasiticide use , with implementation tips .
Point
Work with clients to check for parasites
Understand the potential risks to animals , humans and the environment
Take a risk-based approach to prescribing
Ensure appropriate use
Record and monitor use
Implementation tip
Demonstrate how to check for common parasites
Be aware of the potential harm that parasiticides may cause
Consider faecal testing or serology
Discuss the mode and frequency of application with clients
Regularly assess your practice ' s parasiticide use and develop protocols
REFERENCES
1 Fisher M , McGarry J . Principles of parasitology . In : Cooper B , Mullineaux E , Turner L . ( eds .) BSAVA Textbook of Veterinary Nursing . 6th ed . Gloucester : BSAVA ; 2020 . p . 149 – 171 .
2 Chelsea M , Petri W . Overview of Tapeworm Infections . MSD Manual . 2023 . Available from : https :// www . msdmanuals . com / en-gb / professional / infectious-diseases / cestodes-tapeworms / overviewof-tapeworm-infections [ Accessed 12 February 2024 ].
3 Saari S , Näreaho A , Nikander S . Cestoda ( tapeworms ). In : Canine Parasites and Parasitic Diseases . London : Academic Press ; 2019 . p . 55 – 81 . Available from : https :// doi . org / 10.1016 / B978-0-12-814112-0.00004-0 .
4 Baily G , Garcia H . Other cestode infections : intestinal cestodes , cysticercosis , other larval cestode infections . In : Farrar J , Hotez PJ , Junghanss T , Kang G , Lalloo D , White NJ . ( eds .) Manson ' s Tropical Infectious Diseases . 23rd ed . London : Elsevier ; 2014 . p . 820 – 832 .
5 World Health Organization . Echinococcosis . 2021 . Available from : https :// www . who . int / news-room / fact-sheets / detail / echinococcosis [ Accessed 12 February 2024 ].
6 Taylor MA , Coop RL , Wall R . Veterinary Parasitology . 4th ed . Oxford : Wiley-Blackwell ; 2015 .
7 Ruedisueli FL . Parasite Image Collection . Available from : http :// www . animaldisease . org / PIC / PIC / Parasite-Image-Collection / [ Accessed 12 February 2024 ].
8 BVA . Responsible use of parasiticides for cats and dogs . Available from : https :// www . bva . co . uk / take-action / our-policies / responsibleuse-of-parasiticides-for-cats-and-dogs / [ Accessed 12 February 2024 ].
9 BSAVA . New five-point plan to help vets practise responsible use of parasiticides for dogs and cats . 2022 . Available from : https :// bsava . com / article / five-point-parasiticides-plan / [ Accessed 12 February 2024 ].
10 BVA . Responsible use of parasiticides for cats and dogs : the 5-point plan . 2022 . Available from : https :// www . bva . co . uk / media / 4715 / bva-responsible-use-of-parasiticides-for-cats-and-dogs-the-5- point-plan . pdf [ Accessed 12 February 2024 ].
Conclusions
Cestodes are flat , parasitic worms commonly known as tapeworms . They have an indirect life cycle , which requires an IH and EH to ensure they develop from egg to larva to adult .
The involvement of an IH can make treatment more complex and may introduce a zoonotic risk to humans . Treatment is aimed at eliminating the adult cestode with praziquantel or niclosamide and , ideally , should be done only following confirmation of infection .
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