Intestinal helminths of cats in the Kainji Lake area, Nigeria.

Six parasitic helminths detected were Ancylostoma sp., Opisthorchis felineus, Toxocara mystrax, Hepaticola hepatica, Taenia sp. and Hydatigera taeniaeformis. The prevalence of H. hepatica, T. mystrax and H. taeniaeformis is associated with rodents hunted by cats, and that of O. felineus with fish fed to cats. The role of cats as primary host and reservoir for these helminths, which could be of zoonotic importance, is briefly mentioned.