Gastrointestinal helminthes in stray cats (Felis catus) from Aizawl, Mizoram, India.

Gastrointestinal helminthes were collected from 27 necropsied stray cats (Felis catus) in Aizawl, Mizoram, India from January 2005 to April, 2009. The examined cats showed mixed helminthic infections, with an overall prevalence of 85.2%. Five nematodes, 2 cestodes and 1 trematode were identified. The most common helminthes were Taenia taeniaeformis (70.4%), Toxocara cati (59.3%), Physaloptera praeputalis (44.4%), Dipylidium caninum (40.7%), Spirocerca felineus (18.5%), Gnathostoma spinigerum (11.1%), Ancylostoma tubaeforme (7.4%) and Opisthorchis sp (3.7%). Co-infection with T. taeniaeformis and T. cati was seen in 48.1% (13/27), indicating the possibility of these cats were paratenic hosts for toxocariasis in cats.