Epidemiologic and clinic study of canine spirocercosis in Reunion Island, from 120 cases

Canine spirocercosis is one of the major dog diseases in Reunion Island (In dian Ocean). An epidemiological and clinical survey has been conducted duri ng 3 years. It included 2498 dogs. 120 dogs were symptomatic and infected b y Spirocerca lupi (4.8 %). Four clinical types have been identified: slight form (33.4 %), acute and haemorragic infection (3.8 % of cases), classical type (59.6 %) and tumoral evolution (4.16 % of cases) with in some cases a n associated hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (1.67 %). The coproscopy allowed to diagnostic 82 % of infections. 32 % of dogs had a blood numeration with eosinophiles > 8 %. Radiographic signs were seen in 74 % of cases. The par asitic cysts were seen by endoscopy in the stomach in 5.5 % of infected dog s, the others were localized in the oesophagous. No sex or season predispos itions were identified. The majority of symptomatic dogs were less than 3 y ears old, whereas the tumoral evolution were diagnosed in older dogs (mean of 7 years old). An association of ivermectin and nitroxynil was used to tr eat infested dogs with a cure in 81.6 % of cases.