First report of gurltiosis in a domestic feline from Santa Catarina, Brazil.

Gurltia paralysans is an angio-neurotropic metastrongyloid nematode and the etiologic agent of feline gurltiosis, a rare but emerging parasitic disease in domestic and wild felids. Infection by G. paralysans leads to progressive neurological deficits including ataxia, paraparesis, and fecal/urinary incontinence. This report describes the first confirmed case of feline gurltiosis in Santa Catarina, Brazil, expanding the known geographic distribution of the disease. A 2-years-old domestic cat presented with a six-month history of progressive pelvic limb paralysis and was euthanized due to poor prognosis. Necropsy and histopathology revealed typical lesions of G. paralysans infection in spinal cord samples, such as dilated veins containing metastrongyloid nematodes, thrombosis, and Wallerian degeneration. The G. paralysans DNA was detected by semi-nested PCR for the gene 28S rRNA in a paraffin-embedded spinal cord sample. This case underscores the need for heightened clinical suspicion of gurltiosis in cats with chronic myelopathies, particularly in rural areas of South America.