INFECTION BY Gurltia paralysans IN FELINES

Abstract

Gurltia paralysans is an angioneurotropic nematode from the Angiostrongylidae family that parasitizes domestic and wild cats, causing a chronic progressive myelopathy characterized by severe neurological signs. This parasite's preferred niche is the leptomeningeal veins of the spinal cord, especially in the thoracolumbar and lumbosacral regions, where it induces chronic thrombophlebitis, granulomatous inflammation and degenerative lesions in the white matter. The predominant clinical signs include ataxia, pelvic limb paresis, paraplegia, tail paralysis and sphincter dysfunction. These symptoms evolve slowly and usually result in irreversible conditions. Clinical diagnosis is challenging and is based on the association between neurological signs, a history of exposure to rural environments and the exclusion of other causes of myelopathy. Imaging tests, such as magnetic resonance imaging, and molecular techniques, such as PCR, contribute to diagnostic suspicion, but definitive confirmation only occurs post-mortem, through direct identification of the parasite in the veins of the spinal cord. The lack of precise information on the helminth's biological cycle, including its intermediate hosts, limits effective control strategies. Infection with G. paralysans has been reported more frequently in South America, suggesting underdiagnosis in endemic regions. This paper, through a literature review, gathers up-to-date data on the morphological, clinical, pathological and diagnostic aspects of this emerging disease. Given the severity of the clinical picture and the probable underdiagnosis, it is essential that veterinarians consider gurltiosis as a differential diagnosis in cases of chronic progressive myelopathy in cats, especially in areas with documented presence of the parasite.