Well...i rang the vets up today & the receptionist said that yes Elmo did test positive but that the vet would ring me to let me know more details. Sadly he rang while i had popped out & my dad took the call, from what my dad can remember, he said he thinks the vet said it was pin worms. I will find out the rest on monday when i go to pick up the medicine. Are they hard to treat? I am going to pick up his medication on monday Hopefully after he has got over this he will start filling out a little more, as his growing & weight seem to of slowed down since moving him out of my bedroom & into the living room.
Treat if you must, but pinworms (Oxyurida) in bearded dragons in NOT synonamous with any disease condition. It is so common in all herbivorous reptiles that many believe they may even be mutually beneficial in aiding digestion and allowing the host to absorb certain trace nutrients from plant foods. Most herbivores have an enlarged cecum or even multiple stomachs to allow full breakdown of cellulose-based material through agitation and microbial activity. Iguanas, tortoises, and bearded dragons have no such anatomical adaptations, and the presense of these innocuous worms may provide both mechanical agitation and breakdown that assists in absorption in the small intestines. They are found in virtually all wild reptiles and pose little health risk. However, many feel that in captive reptiles they can pose a risk for superinfection. This occurs when fecal material is allowed to accumulate and the animal will continuously reinfect itself by ingesting the eggs that contaminate food and all surfaces within the cage. Proper husbandry that includes daily spot cleaning and periodic change of substrate and disinfection of cage furniture will make this unlikely. It is the opinion of most parasitologists that highly host-specific worms (such as the pins found in beardies), are self-regulating in preventing an overpopulation. This has been proven repeatedly in several studies of tapeworms, Rhabditids, and strongyles, though I have not seen a study specific to the Oxyurida group. Fenbendazole (Panacur) is the broad spectrum antihelminthic that is used in beardies and is quite effective and very safe. These worms are not the same pinworms (Enterobius) that infect humans and there is absolutely no danger of zoonosis. Curiously, the human pinworm is very common in elementary age children even today. I recently read of a study that showed prevalence as high as 30% in many regions of the U.S. Curiously, adult humans rarely contract the human pinworm and this is likely because of an immunity developed from a previous unknown childhood infection. I mention this because Oxyurida pins (and other parasites such as coccidia) in juvenile beardies may likewise serve a similar purpose in developing the longterm health of the immune system that benefits the lizard during adulthood. Sorry for the long respnse but some of us have a passion for parasites. :wink: George
Here is a recent photograph I took while conducting a parasite survey of wild and semi-captive populations of the endangered gopher tortoise (a "species of special interest" here in GA). This "happy snap" is one of hundreds of fecal examinations that I conducted. Without exception, every tortoise carried a pretty heavy load of these pinworms, along with many other intestinal nematodes, and all were totally asymptomatic of any associated disease condition. Beardie pinworm eggs are almost identical but only about 100um in size. 400X magnification (Nomarski DIC) George
George, Have you read this? Give me your thoughts http://www.reptilerooms.com/Sections+index...-50-page-1.html
