We report three cases of sparganosis due to plerocercoids of the tapeworm Spirometra sp. in captive meerkats (Suricata suricatta) from a zoo exhibit in the southeastern United States. Two meerkats were euthanized, one due to an uncontrollable seizure and the other due to trauma, and at necropsy cysts containing cestode larvae were observed. A third meerkat had a subcutaneous nodule surgically removed, which contained similar larvae. The third animal died years later, and had numerous cestode larvae in the pleural and peritoneal cavities. The larvae were morphologically identified as plerocercoids of diphyllobothriidean cestodes. On necropsy, multiple nodules, ranging in size from 2.5 to 3.0 cm, were observed in the subcutaneous tissue and muscles. Multifocally, separating skeletal muscle fibers were longitudinal and transversal sections of cestode larva. Histologically, parasitic cysts contained large numbers of neutrophils and macrophages, admixed with proteinaceous material. Molecular and phylogenetic analyses confirmed that specimens from one of the meerkats belonged to the genus Spirometra and was closely related to Spirometra plerocercoids isolated from a snake from the United States and wild felids from South America. Meerkats likely became infected by ingesting infected second intermediate hosts, such as amphibians and reptiles that may have entered the exhibit. Management practices that minimize access of meerkats and other susceptible hosts to intermediate hosts should be implemented.

我们报告了由于cases虫Spirometra sp的plerocercoids造成的3例孢子虫病。在圈养猫鼬（Suricata suricatta）来自美国东南部的动物园展览。对两只猫鼬实施了安乐死，一种是由于无法控制的癫痫发作，另一种是由于外伤，在尸检时观察到了含有c虫幼虫的囊肿。第三只猫鼬通过手术切除了皮下的小结节，其中包含类似的幼虫。数年后，第三只动物死亡，并在胸膜和腹膜腔中有大量的尾生幼虫。幼虫在形态上被鉴定为双叶噻吩类杀虫剂的拟除虫菊酯。尸检时，在皮下组织和肌肉中观察到多个结节，大小在2.5至3.0cm之间。多焦点，分离的骨骼肌纤维是c虫幼虫的纵向和横向截面。从组织学上讲，寄生性囊肿包含大量嗜中性粒细胞和巨噬细胞，与蛋白质材料混合。分子和系统发育分析证实，猫鼬之一的标本属于该属绦虫和密切相关绦虫从美国和南美的野生猫科动物蛇隔离plerocercoids。猫鼬很可能是通过摄入感染的第二中间宿主（例如可能已进入展览的两栖动物和爬行动物）而被感染的。应该实施使猫鼬和其他易受感染的主机对中间主机的访问最小化的管理实践。