I found these structures in a fecal samples from a sleddog. They measure approx. 70 µm. Has anyone seen something similar before?
Thanks
Could potentially be Ancylostoma caninum. Do you have any more information regarding country of origin etc?
It certainly could be. I would not think it is a tapeworm but the general appearance could be a nematode egg or a large protozoan cyst.
Although my first (and spontaneous) thought was a coccidia , I think Joshuas bet is more likely the better; a) the internal structures look more irregular than in most coccidia - at least than in those I used to view, and b) coccidia tend to occur in higher density, not as singles like the one you have imaged. Good luck in the further identification!
Is that the only one you found? It does look like some kind of coccidian cyst but much larger than what I would expect. I don't think it is an Ancylostoma egg either. They tend to have more organized internal structures. Like in other hookworms, you'd be able to clearly distinguish between the cleaved cells.
It could just be a spurious parasite. Sorry if that was not very helpful.
The best way to confirm if it is a coccidia (I'm sure it is) is to place the material in dichromate 2.5% to sporulate. Good luck.
Dear colleagues,
Excuse me, but I think it can be mere speculation to try a diagnosis from a single structure/picture (and not typical!). Some colleagues wrote above that is not a coccidean. Ok! I think that is also foolhardy, from the only picture that we have, make a diagnosis of hookworm egg (although this is possible). The ideal, Kristoffer, is to look more structures in the fecal material. Do you have pictures of other specimens of this structure?
Best regards,
Vitor
