PARASITIC DISEASES OF TRAVELING DOGS AND CATS

Pets traveling in the company of their masters, may, same as their owners, catch parasitic diseases occuring in foreign, exotic countries. The so-caught parasites: (1) either have free-living stages able to develop in a convenient foreign biotope: e.g. mycosis such as histoplasmosis...; helminthosis such as ankylostomatodosis... - (2) or perform their life cycle in intermediate hosts the distribution of which is limited to special exotic areas: e.g. hepatic and intestinal or pulmonray tremato-doses -(3) or are transmitted by hematophaguus arthropods living in exotic countries: e.g. trypanosomosis, leishmaniosis... The possibility for the exotic diseases to persist and spread in the country into which they have been imported depends upon: (1) either the exigence of intermediate hosts and natural vector of the parasites in the new area - (2) or the ability of these parasites to adapt their life - cycle to vicariants hosts or vectors - (3) or the agility of free living stages to survive in the new climatic and pedologic biotpes. As a rule, maintenance of exotic parasites in temperate zones unlikely. The above data are emphasized using examples of etiological and clinical features concerning parasitic disease involved.