AUTHOR=Cuccato Matteo , Rubiola Selene , Rossi Luca , Piga Sara , Scaglione Frine Eleonora 

TITLE=Case-report: Massive infection by Cysticercus longicollis in a captive Lemur catta from Italy

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1288451

DOI=10.3389/fvets.2023.1288451

ISSN=2297-1769

ABSTRACT=<p>An adult male ring-tailed lemur (<italic>Lemur catta</italic>) from a biopark of northern Italy was submitted to necropsy. A multi-organ parasitic infection was macroscopically evident. Abundant sero-hemorrhagic fluid with larval parasites was present in all cavities. The microscopic evaluation of parasites and the molecular characterization revealed the presence of <italic>Cysticercus longicollis</italic> (the larval stage of <italic>Taenia crassiceps</italic>). Histology of liver, lungs, intestine and urinary bladder revealed several larval parasites surrounded by a severe lymphocytic infiltrate, fibrous tissue and hemorrhages. This is the first report of a ring-tailed lemur with an infection of <italic>C. longicollis</italic> in Italy. The source of infection is still not known however, the discovery of this parasite in a captive lemur poses more attention on the control of parasitic diseases implementing monitoring tests and biosecurity measures.</p>