Gastrointestinal Helminthic Parasites in Stray Cats (Felis catus) from North of Iran

Background: cats play a crucial role in the epidemiology of gastrointestinal helminthic parasites and also play a major rolein transmitting of these parasites through faecal contamination of soil, food or water. the aim of this study was to determinethe species of gastrointestinal helminthes parasites in stray cats from a rural area of bandar-e-anzali, iran.method: gastrointestinal helminthes were collected from 50 necropsied stray cats (felis catus) after capturing them bytrapping from different regions of the city and humanely euthanatized in bandar-e-anzali, a port in the caspian sea innorthern iran, from march to november 2003.results: the prevalence of infection was 90%, with those of individual parasites being diplopylidium nolleri 54%, physalopterapraeputialis 32%, ancylostoma tubaeforme 20%, joyeuxiella pasqualei 10%, toxocara cati 8%, pterygodermatitesaffinis 6%, ancylostoma caninum 4%, and taenia taeniaeformis 2%. concurrent infections with two or more parasiteswere recorded in 34% of the individuals. in relation to the sex, the differences were not significant.conclusion: p. praeputialis, t. cati, d. nolleri and sometime j. pasqualei are the commonest helminthes in cats. this is thefirst reported isolation of p. affinis and a. caninum infections from cats in iran.