Toxocariasis (Toxocara spp.)

In this episode of Current Vet, Dr. Lottie talks about toxocariasis, why parasite migration can cause some unexpected signs and the different routes of transmission that mean puppies can be born infected.

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Timeline:
00:00 Intro
01:52 Case
02:39 Aetiology & Pathogenesis
08:09 Clinical Signs
10:44 Zoonosis
12:49 Treatment
14:26 Prevention
15:12 Key Points
17:39 Outro

Recommended Reading:

• The ESCCAP’s Guidelines on Worm Control in Dogs & Cats has a great overview on Toxocara spp. infections, lifecycles, diagnosis and prevention methods

References

• ESCCAP (2025) ‘Guidelines | GL1: Worm Control in Dogs and Cats’. European Scientific Counsel on Companion Animal Parasites (ESCCAP). Available at: https://www.esccap.org/guidelines/gl1/
• Taylor, M.A., Coop, R.L. and Wall, R. (2015) Veterinary Parasitology. John Wiley & Sons.
• Overgaauw, P.A.M. and van Knapen, F. (2013) ‘Veterinary and public health aspects of Toxocara spp’, Veterinary Parasitology, 193(4), pp. 398–403. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2012.12.035.
• Ma, G. et al. (2018) ‘Human toxocariasis’, The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 18(1), pp. e14–e24. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(17)30331-6.
• Schwartz, R. et al. (2022) ‘The epidemiology and control of Toxocara canis in puppies’, Parasite Epidemiology and Control, 16, p. e00232. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parepi.2021.e00232.

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Any clinical cases discussed in this podcast are fictional, and are designed to reflect typical or likely clinical scenarios for educational purposes. They do not represent specific real-life cases, clients, or animals.

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