26o Veterinary Medicine. 



Biology. Grassi has traced the life history of this spiroptera, 

 having found it in the larval condition in the abdominal cavity of 

 the eastern cockroach (Periplaueta Orientalis), which he fed to 

 dogs, and fifteen days later found the worms embedded in the ceso- 

 phagean mucosa. It would appear that the cock-roaches become 

 infested from devouring the droppings of dogs, and that dogs in 

 turn become infested by eating cock-roaches. 



Symptoms. There may be vomiting and rapid loss of condition 

 when the parasite exists in the oesophagus or cardia. Voracious 

 appetite has been noticed in some cases of gastric spiroptera. 



Gastric catarrh may also exist. There may be signs of pul- 

 monary, pleural, aortic or gandular disease according to the loca- 

 tion of the parasite. 



Treatment. Has not so. far been attempted but would be essen- 

 tially vermifuge. 



GASTRIC PARASITES IN THE CAT. 



Ollulanus tricuspis : Mature in chambers hollowed in gastric mucosa of 

 cat and small rodents, and as larva in liver, lungs, pleura, diaphragm, or 

 intestinal contents of same. Female has three hooks on tail. Length i 

 mm. , like larval trichina, but contains ova and embryo which distinguish it. 

 Lesions : Isolated red nodules, or congested, ecchymotic, softened patches 

 shedding epithelium, and catarrh ; ovoviviparous. Embryos present in the 

 ingesta and fffices, and even in bronchial mucus. Cysts in solid organs may 

 each hold several asexual worms and cause fatal inflammation. Treatment : 

 Vermifuges, destruction of rats and mice. Parasites of cats' prey accident- 

 ally swallowed. 



Ollulanus Tricuspis (olla jar). This is a small round worm 

 which pas.ses through its sexually mature condition in the gastric 

 mucosa of the cat and small rodents, and its larval state encysted 

 in the internal organs (liver, lungs, pleura, diaphragm), or free 

 in the intestinal contents of the same animals. It has accordingly 

 been often mistaken for trichina. The name is derived from the 

 three pointed processes on the caudal extremity of the female, 

 which together with the presence in its oviducts of ova and two 

 or three large sized embryos, at once distinguish it from the 

 wandering or ency.sted trichina. Both sexes are further dis- 

 tinguished by the open, urn-shaped buccal capsule. 



