First epidemiological survey of Angiostrongylus vasorum in domestic dogs from Spain
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.