Investigation of a hitherto unknown parasitic worm in tongues of dogs in Lira City

Abstract

Dog owners in Lira City have always reported cases of dogs presenting with lethargy, inappetance, vomiting, among others, which clinical signs they attribute to the occurrence of a suspected “worm” underneath the tongues of dogs. In trying to address this health and welfare issue, animal health practitioners are involved in a common practice of surgically removal of the suspected worm. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was carried out to investigate this hitherto unknown possible parasitic worm in tongues of dogs reported in Lira city. Specimens were collected and analyzed using histopathology. The histopathology findings revealed that the specimens were made up of three body regions i.e., the thick outer cuticle, the body wall, made up of smooth muscle layer dorsally and fat deposits ventrally with a central lumen (coelomic cavity). Additionally, the coelomic cavity was lined by a layer of simple cuboidal epithelium. Therefore, results from histopathology study indicated that the specimen was not part of the tongue tissue but could be a developmental stage of a parasite. Furthermore, results from questionnaires administered showed that majority of the veterinary practitioners had encountered cases of the suspected worm (84.6%), and in their opinion, they believed there is something underneath the tongue of dogs (59.1%) which they thought was a developmental stage of a parasite (68.2%). Veterinary practitioners with more than 5 years of experience also agreed that the tissue usually removed from the tongues of dogs is a developmental stage of a parasite (P=0.047). Most dog owners had experienced ill health in their dogs due to the suspected worm (74.5%) and many of them believed that surgical removal of the suspected worm was good (68.6%). Therefore, more research can be done on the tissue extracted, probably using scanning microscopes and DNA identification techniques to identify and name the parasite. This will make treatment of the condition easier if the parasite is identified in addition to sensitization of the public.