PARASITOLOGY LAB EXAM (1995)

(Click on the question to see the picture that goes with the question)

Question 1.
A. A local dairy farmer has just acquired some livestock from Louisiana and is concerned that they may have liver flukes (the trematode Fasciola hepatica). What fecal examination method will give you the best chance of finding the eggs of this parasite? (3 pts.)

B. A 3-week-old puppy has watery diarrhea. Given its age and clinical signs you suspect a Giardia infection. What fecal examination method will give you the best chance of detecting this parasite? (3 pts.)

C. A 4-year-old dog has a chronic cough and you have included the nematodes that live in the lungs on your list of possible causes. What fecal examination method(s) will give you enough information to rule out (or in) the presence of these "lungworms"? (3 pts.)

Question 2.
A. The fecal sample in the device at your place came from a 4-year-old male Rottweiler as part of his yearly check-up. Examine the sample and identify the eggs of the parasite (give Genus and species). (7 pts.) B. What other similar looking egg could appear in dog feces and how could You tell it apart from the egg you identified in part A? (3 pts.)

Question 3.
A. The sample of meat in the dish at your place is beef hamburger that is thought to have been contaminated with pork. Is it likely that the hamburger has pork in it (yes, no, can't tell)? (4 pts.)
B. Explain your answer to part A. (3 pts.)

Question 4.
A. A saturated salt flotation was done on a fecal sample from a 4 month old Puppy which has been brought to you for its first check-up. The results of this test are shown under the microscope at Station #4. Identify the parasite egg (give Genus and species). (7 pts.)
B. What other similar looking egg may be found the feces of a dog and how could you tell it apart from the egg you identified in part A? (3 pts.)

Question 5.
A. A 6-year-old male mix breed dog was brought in to your practice with the complaint that it had chronic vomiting. The results of a saturated salt flotation fecal examination is shown under the microscope at Station #5. Identify the egg (give Genus and species). (6 pts.)
B. What pathologic changes may have been caused by this parasite and what other procedures would you do to determine if this dog had these pathologic conditions? (3 pts.)

Question 6.
A. The egg seen under the microscope at Station #6 was recovered from the feces of a 1 month old foal which has diarrhea. Many of these eggs are present on the slide. Identify the parasite (give Genus and species). (6 pts.)
B. Why would you expect to see eggs of this parasite in a young foal rather than in a mature horse? (3 pts.)

Question 7.
A. The egg seen under the microscope at Station #7 was recovered during a urine analysis of a pig. Identify the parasite (give Genus and species). (6 pts.)
B. In what organ does the adult worm reside? (3 pts.)

Question 8.
A. The worms seen under the microscope at Station #8 were recovered from the small intestine of a sheep which died of bacterial pneumonia. Identify the parasite (give Genus only). (6 pts.)
B. Describe the egg you would expect to find in the feces. (3 pts.)

Question 9.
A. A number of adult nematodes, each about 1.5 cm long, were recovered from the large intestine of a horse which died suddenly. The anterior end of the worm is shown on the kodachromes at Station #9. Identify the parasite (give Genus and species). (6 pts.)
B. Where in the horse would the fourth-stage larvae (L4) of this worm be found? (3 pts.)

Question 10.
A. The dish under the microscope at Station #10 contains a skin biopsy in saline. The biopsy was taken from the ventral midline of a horse with itching dermatitis in this area. Identify the parasite (give Genus only). (6 pts.)
B. How is this parasite transmitted? (3 pts.)