Naturally Occurring Parelaphostrongylus tenuis–Associated Choriomeningitis in a Guinea Pig With Neurologic Signs

Abstract

An adult male guinea pig ( Cavia porcellus) with a 1-month history of hind limb paresis, torticollis, and seizures was euthanized and submitted for necropsy. Gross examination was unremarkable, but histologic examination revealed multifocal eosinophilic and lymphoplasmacytic choriomeningitis and cross sections of nematode parasites within the leptomeninges of the midbrain and diencephalon. Morphologic features of the nematode were consistent with a metastrongyle, and the parasite was identified as Parelaphostrongylus tenuis by polymerase chain reaction testing and nucleotide sequencing. Further questioning of the owner revealed that the guinea pig was fed grass from a yard often grazed by white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus). To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of a naturally occurring P. tenuis infection in a guinea pig.