scholarly journals First epidemiological survey of Angiostrongylus vasorum in domestic dogs from Spain

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Carretón ◽  
Rodrigo Morchón ◽  
Yaiza Falcón-Cordón ◽  
Jorge Matos ◽  
Noelia Costa-Rodríguez ◽  
...  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Carretón ◽  
Rodrigo Morchón ◽  
Yaiza Falcón-Cordón ◽  
Jorge Matos ◽  
Noemí Costa-Rodríguez ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Angiostrongylus vasorum is the causative agent of canine angiostrongylosis, a disease that mainly affects domestic dogs and others wild carnivores. In Europe, the number of infected animals is increasing, being mainly located in central and southern countries. In Spain, several studies have reported high prevalences of A. vasorum in wild animals. However, there are no studies that address the current situation and distribution of the disease in domestic dogs in the country. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of A. vasorum in different areas of Spain. Methods: Between November 2018 and October 2019, blood was sampled from a total of 2024 domestic dogs from 6 eco-epidemiological zones of Spain with climates that favour the presence of competent gastropod mollusks, and tested for the presence of A. vasorum circulating antigens using Angio Detect TM . All included dogs lived outdoors or had regular access to areas with vegetation. Results: The prevalence of canine angiostrongylosis in the studied areas of Spain was 1.73%. No differences were found between males and females. By age, significant higher prevalances were found in dogs younger than 4 years. By eco-epidemiological areas, the highest prevalences were obtained in the north (2.74%) and northwest (1.86%) of Spain, and the lowest was described in the western area (0.93%). Conclusions: The prevalence obtained can be considered high and demonstrates the presence of canine angiostrongylosis in Spain, in those areas where infected wild animals have been described and where climatic conditions are favourable for the establishment of the disease. Prophylactic measures should be prescribed for dogs at risk of infection and veterinarians should be aware of the importance of this disease.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Carretón ◽  
Rodrigo Morchón ◽  
Yaiza Falcón-Cordón ◽  
Jorge Matos ◽  
Nieves Costa-Rodríguez ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Angiostrongylus vasorum is the causative agent of canine angiostrongylosis, a disease that mainly affects domestic dogs and others wild carnivores. In Europe, the number of infected individuals is increasing, being located in central and southern countries. In Spain, several studies have reported high prevalence of A. vasorum in wild animals. However, there are no studies that address the current situation of the disease or its distribution in domestic dogs, and complaints from veterinary personnel are very limited. Taking into account these facts, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of A. vasorum in different areas of Spain.Methods: Between November 2018 and October 2019, blood was sampled from a total of 2024 domestic dogs from 6 zones of Spain with climatologies that favour the establishment of the disease, where all dogs included in the study lived outdoors or had regular access to areas with vegetation and none had traveled outside the study area of ​​interest in the past year. Details about their gender and age were collected. All dogs were tested for the presence of A. vasorum circulating antigens using AngioDetectTM. Results: The prevalence of canine angiostrongylosis in the studied areas of Spain was 1.73%. No differences were found between males and females but by age, significant differences were found between dogs <1 years and the rest of three groups of age. By eco-epidemiological areas, the highest prevalences were obtained in the north and northwest of Spain and the lowest was described in the central area.Conclusions: Our data suggest that the disease is present in Spain in domestic dogs where previously infected wild animals existed or where climatic conditions are favourable for the establishment of the disease.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgiana Deak ◽  
Nina Gillis-Germitsch ◽  
Angela Monica Ionică ◽  
Angela Mara ◽  
Ioana Raluca Păstrav ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgiana Deak ◽  
Eduardo Berriatua ◽  
Andrei Daniel Mihalca

Abstract Background Angiostrongylus vasorum (Nematoda, Metastrongyloidea) is a vascular nematode that resides in the pulmonary arteries and the right side of the heart of a wide variety of carnivores, with an indirect life cycle using coprophagic gastropods as intermediate hosts. For domestic dogs, the infection with A. vasorum can be asymptomatic, but more frequently, it is associated with a wide range of clinical manifestations like cardio-respiratory signs, bleedings, neurological signs, and ocular problems which can lead to death when not treated accordingly. Angiostrongylosis was confirmed for the first time in Romania in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in 2017 and two years later a seroepidemiologic study was conducted among domestic dogs. However, to this date, no clinical canine angiostrongylosis cases were published in Romania. The aim of the present paper was to evaluate the knowledge about canine angiostrongylosis among veterinarians in Romania and to update the distribution of this disease using a national wide anonymous questionnaire. Results Overall, 147 unique responses were submitted, from 31 out of 42 counties. Twelve veterinarians (8%) from 8 counties (26%) acknowledged diagnosing a case of angiostrongylosis including 5 from the Bucharest and 1 from each of the remaining seven counties. All affected dogs had respiratory distress, 75% suffered cardiopathy, 16% coagulopathies and 8% neurological signs. Case diagnosis was based mostly on larval detection by coprology (67%) and serological antigen detection test (42%). Conclusions Romanian veterinarians are aware of canine angiostrongylosis and a significant number have clinical experience with the disease. Epidemiological studies are now needed to assess its distribution in the country, and further efforts are required to improve understanding of the disease, its diagnostic and treatment methods among veterinarians.


VirusDisease ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongchao Wu ◽  
Xiangdong Li ◽  
Lingxiao Wang ◽  
Yuxiu Liu ◽  
Kegong Tian

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e000314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Tiškina ◽  
Eeva-Liisa Lindqvist ◽  
Anna-Clara Blomqvist ◽  
Merle Orav ◽  
Christen Rune Stensvold ◽  
...  

Angiostrongylus vasorum has spread farther north in Europe. In this study, two autochthonous findings from dogs from Finland are described: in February 2014, the infection was diagnosed in a 10-month-old labrador retriever, and in February 2017, in a three-year-old French bulldog. These diagnoses were based on direct detection of the larvae from faeces of the dogs. The dogs had no history of travel to or import from abroad; the first lived in Southern Finland and the other in Western Finland, about 150 km apart. The dogs had no clinical signs attributable to angiostrongylosis. An online questionnaire was used to survey the extent to which veterinarians in Finland have self-reportedly observed canine A vasorum infections. A total of 38 veterinarians authorised to work in Finland answered the questionnaire in December 2017, and 9 (24%) of them reported having seen one or more dogs with A vasorum infection in Finland. The results suggest that at least five individual dogs with A vasorum infection would have been seen in Finland, three of which had an apparently autochthonous infection. While the geographical distribution of A vasorum in Finland remains largely unknown, findings have started to appear from domestic dogs. It remains possible that some veterinarians could have misdiagnosed, for example, Crenosoma vulpis larvae as those of A vasorum, and the findings without confirmation using antigen test could be due to coprophagy and passage of ingested larvae; however, this does not change the main conclusion that can be made: A vasorum is already multifocally present in Finland. Increasing awareness about A vasorum is important in areas where it is emerging and spreading.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jagmeet S. Grewal ◽  
Tyler Gloe ◽  
Joseph Hegedus ◽  
Kathleen Bitterman ◽  
Brendon K. Billings ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
W. L. Steffens ◽  
Nancy B. Roberts ◽  
J. M. Bowen

The canine heartworm is a common and serious nematode parasite of domestic dogs in many parts of the world. Although nematode neuroanatomy is fairly well documented, the emphasis has been on sensory anatomy and primarily in free-living soil species and ascarids. Lee and Miller reported on the muscular anatomy in the heartworm, but provided little insight into the peripheral nervous system or myoneural relationships. The classical fine-structural description of nematode muscle innervation is Rosenbluth's earlier work in Ascaris. Since the pharmacological effects of some nematacides currently being developed are neuromuscular in nature, a better understanding of heartworm myoneural anatomy, particularly in reference to the synaptic region is warranted.


2006 ◽  
Vol 148 (12) ◽  
pp. 649-655 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Farca ◽  
P. Cavana ◽  
P. Badino ◽  
R. Barbero ◽  
R. Odore ◽  
...  
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