Cytologic diagnosis of peritoneal cestodiasis in dogs caused by Mesocestoides sp.

Background: Canine peritoneal larval cestodiasis caused by tapeworm larvae of the genus Mesocestoides is an uncommon and possibly fatal disease that can result in ascites and peritonitis. Although abdominal fluid analysis is recommended for dogs with ascites, the cytologic features of Mesocestoides infection have not been described fully.

Objective: Our goal was to describe the cytologic features of Mesocestoides larvae and of associated ascitic fluid that was collected from the peritoneal cavity of 4 infected dogs.