Autochthonous <i>Thelazia callipaeda</i> Infection in Dog, New York, USA, 2020
A Schwartz, Manigandan Lejeune, Guilherme G. Verocai, R. T. Young, Paul H. Schwartz
Abstract
T helaziasis in dogs can be caused by 2 nematodes of the genus Thelazia (Nematoda: Spirurida): T. callipaeda and T. californiensis (1). The oriental eye worm (T. callipaeda) is a helminth that infects a variety of domestic and wild carnivores, lagomorphs, rodents, and primates (including humans) across Eurasia (2,3). In Europe, the T. callipaeda eye worm is an emergent vectorborne helminth that has spread steadily across all countries over the past 3 decades (2). The California eye worm (T. californiensis) has been reportedly found in wild and domestic carnivores, ungulates, lagomorphs, and humans; its range is limited to the western United States (4). Zoonotic infection of humans with a third species of eye worm (T. gulosa), which infects cattle, has recently been reported in the western United States (5). These 3 species of Thelazia eye worm with zoonotic potential are morphologically and biologically distinct