Taeniacoenurus in the orbit of a chinchilla

Abstract

A 4-year old, male intact, captive-bred chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera) was presented due to progressive exophthalmos of the right eye over a 5-month period. Ophthalmic examination revealed exophthalmos with dorsal displacement of the right globe. Retropulsion was decreased and a fluctuant, subcutaneous mass could be palpated posterior and dorsal to the central aspect of the zygomatic bone. Transdermal ultrasonography revealed a fluid-filled mass consistent with a cyst located within the ventral right orbit. Computed tomography demonstrated dorsal displacement of the globe, lateral displacement of the zygomatic arch, and numerous mineral-dense foci within the lumen of the cyst. The cyst was removed en bloc by ventral transpalpebral orbitotomy. Histopathology revealed a single capsulated cyst with multiple invaginated protoscolices, characterized by a prominent scolex with refractile hooklets, suckers, and abundant calcareous corpuscles consistent with a Taenia coenurus. Exophthalmos resolved with surgical therapy and there was no evidence of recurrence or postoperative complications over a period of 2 years. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of an orbital cyst of parasitic origin in a chinchilla.

Retro-bulbar cyst of Coenurus gaigeri in Barbari goats

“…Proptosis or exorbitism has also been reported due to enzootic nasal adenocarcinoma (De las Heras et al 2003) and conidiobolomycosis (Silva et al 2007) in sheep. Parasitic cysts in and around the eye balls are rare and have been attributed to hydatidosis in horse (Barnett et al 1988), cysticercosis in pigs (Cardenas-Ramirez et al 1984), Taenia serialis in rabbits (O'Reilly et al 2002;Holmberg et al 2007), Coenurus cerebralis in ewe (Haridy et al 2014) and coenurosis in man (Williams and Templeton 1971;Manschot 1976;Ibechukwu and Onwukeme 1991). In this investigation orbital coenurosis was diagnosed in the goat as the cause of unilateral exopthalamia.…”

<i>Coenurus cerebralis</i> cyst in the orbit of a ewe

“…The extra-cerebral cysts in goats have been erroneously referred to be due to Coenurus gaigeri (Sharma et al 1998). The only orbital coenurosis that has been recorded in animals is T. serialis cysts in the orbit of a pet rabbit and chinchilla (Holmberg et al 2007;O'Reilly et al 2002), but it has been frequently recorded in humans (Ibechukwu & Onwukeme 1991;Williams & Templeton 1971). The two most common Taenia species forming coenuri are T. seralis and T. multiceps.…”

“…Causes of exophthalmoses include: orbital abscess, orbital cellulitis, orbital cyst, eosinophilic myositis, lacrimal gland disease, foreign body granuloma, haematoma and trauma (Boydell 1991). Reports on orbital parasitic cysts are uncommon in veterinary literature and have been attributed to hydatidosis, cysticercosis and T. serialis in a horse, hogs and pet rabbits, respectively (Barnett et al 1988;Cardenas-Ramirez et al 1984;Holmberg et al 2007;O'Reilly et al 2002;Wills 2001). However, human ocular coenurosis is common and has been reported in Uganda and Nigeria (Ibechukwu & Onwukemr 1991;Williams & Templeton 1971).…”

Identifying wildlife reservoirs of neglected taeniid tapeworms: Non-invasive diagnosis of endemic Taenia serialis infection in a wild primate population

“…Case studies have described T . serialis coenurosis in three rodent species [ 14 , 19 – 22 ], domestic cats [ 23 – 29 ], two marsupial species [ 30 , 31 ], two lagomorph species [ 32 – 37 ], and two nonhuman primate species (the greater spot-nosed guenon ( Cercopithecus nictitans ) [ 38 ], and the gelada ( Theropithecus gelada ) [ 39 – 44 ]. To our knowledge, only two studies of naturally occurring T .…”