Angiostrongylus vasorum in Domestic Dogs in Castilla y León, Iberian Peninsula, Spain

Angiostrongylus vasorum is the causative agent of canine angiostrongylosis, a disease affecting domestic and wild canids. In Europe, it is an emerging disease, mainly reported in red foxes. In Spain, there are a few studies that address the prevalence and pathology of this disease. Castilla y León is the largest region of the Iberian Peninsula, whose extensive area is 94,224 km2; however, until now, there have been no epidemiological studies on this disease. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the presence of antigens of A. vasorum in 1475 dogs from Castilla y León, showing an overall prevalence of 0.75%. The infected dogs were mainly outdoors, guard and hunting breed dogs and living in locations with mild climates close to areas of high edaphic humidity, such as stagnant water, irrigated crops or riverbanks, with the vegetation dominated by alders, holm oak and gall oak forests, where the intermediate hosts develop. It is necessary to carry out more in-depth studies on the epidemiology and pathology of this disease in Spain and Europe in order to carry out efficient control in both domestic and wild animals.

Download Full-text

The current situation of Angiostrongylus vasorum in Romania: a national questionnaire-based survey

BMC Veterinary Research ◽

10.1186/s12917-021-03034-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Georgiana Deak ◽

Eduardo Berriatua ◽

Andrei Daniel Mihalca

Keyword(s):

Pulmonary Arteries ◽

Clinical Manifestations ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Domestic Dogs ◽

Angiostrongylus Vasorum ◽

Intermediate Hosts ◽

Red Foxes ◽

Neurological Signs ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Right

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.

Download Full-text

Infectivity of gastropod-shed third-stage larvae of Angiostrongylus vasorum and Crenosoma vulpis to dogs

Parasites & Vectors ◽

10.1186/s13071-021-04802-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

William Robbins ◽

Gary Conboy ◽

Spencer Greenwood ◽

Roland Schaper

Keyword(s):

Tap Water ◽

Natural Infection ◽

Angiostrongylus Vasorum ◽

Intermediate Hosts ◽

Red Foxes ◽

Romaine Lettuce ◽

Crenosoma Vulpis ◽

Artificial Digestion ◽

Third Stage ◽

Limax Maximus

Abstract Background Metastrongyloid parasites Angiostrongylus vasorum and Crenosoma vulpis infect wild and domestic canids and are important pathogens in dogs. Recent studies indicate that gastropod intermediate hosts infected with various metastrongyloids spontaneously shed infective third-stage larvae (L3) into the environment via feces and mucus under laboratory conditions. Shed L3 retain motility up to 120 days, but whether they retain infectivity was unknown. Methods To assess the infectivity of shed L3, the heart/lungs of six red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were obtained from trappers in Newfoundland, Canada. Lungs were examined for first-stage larvae (L1) by the Baermann technique. A high number of viable A. vasorum L1 and a low number of C. vulpis L1 were recovered from one fox; these were used to infect naïve laboratory-raised Limax maximus. L3 recovered from slugs by artificial digestion were fed to two naïve purpose-bred research beagles (100 L3/dog). L1 shed by these two dogs was used to infect 546 L. maximus (2000–10,000 L1/slug). L3 shedding was induced by anesthetizing slugs in soda water and transferring them into warm (45 °C) tap water for at least 8 h. Shed L3 recovered from slugs were aliquoted on romaine lettuce in six-well tissue culture plates (80–500 L3/well) and stored at 16 °C/75% relative humidity. Four naïve research beagles were then exposed to 100 L3/dog from larvae stored for 0, 2, 4, or 8 weeks, respectively, after shedding. Results All four dogs began shedding C. vulpis L1 by 26–36 days post-infection (PI). All four dogs began shedding A. vasorum L1 by 50 days PI. Conclusions L3 infectivity for the definitive host was retained in both metastrongyloids, indicating the potential for natural infection in dogs through exposure from environmental contamination. As an additional exposure route, eating or licking plant or other material(s) contaminated with metastrongyloid L3 could dramatically increase the number of dogs at risk of infection from these parasites. Graphic Abstract

Download Full-text

The first report of Angiostrongylus vasorum (Nematoda; Metastrongyloidea) in Poland, in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes)

Acta Parasitologica ◽

10.2478/s11686-014-0290-7 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 59 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Aleksander Demiaszkiewicz ◽

Anna Pyziel ◽

Izabela Kuligowska ◽

Jacek Lachowicz

Keyword(s):

Pulmonary Artery ◽

Vulpes Vulpes ◽

Land Snails ◽

Angiostrongylus Vasorum ◽

Intermediate Hosts ◽

Red Foxes ◽

First Report ◽

The Right ◽

Forest District ◽

Augustowska Primeval Forest

AbstractAngiostrongylus vasorum belongs to the superfamily of Metastrongyloidea. This nematode occurs in foxes, dogs and other predators. The Nematode A. vasorum place themselves in the pulmonary artery and its branches, and in the right ventricle and atrium of the heart. Numerous species of land snails are the intermediate hosts of the parasite. In 2013, lungs and hearts of 76 foxes shot in the Forest District Głęboki Bród in Augustowska Primeval Forest were parasitologically necropsied. Four of the examined foxes were infected with the nematode A. vasorum, a prevalence of 5.2%. In one fox pericardium there were 6 male and 6 female nematodes. In the remaining three foxes nematodes were localized in the pulmonary artery. In two foxes 2 specimens of nematodes were detected (male and female, and two females) while 1 female was detected in the other fox. This is the first report of the presence of the nematode A. vasorum in fox in Poland.

Download Full-text

The development of Angiostrongylus vasorum (Baillet, 1866) in the freshwater snail Pomacea canaliculata (Lamarck, 1822)

Journal of Helminthology ◽

10.1017/s0022149x14000856 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 89 (6) ◽

pp. 755-759 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

L.R. Mozzer ◽

A.L. Coaglio ◽

R.M. Dracz ◽

V.M.A Ribeiro ◽

W.S. Lima

Keyword(s):

Freshwater Snail ◽

Angiostrongylus Vasorum ◽

Pomacea Canaliculata ◽

Hatching Rate ◽

Intermediate Hosts ◽

Shell Size ◽

Second Stage ◽

Wild Canids ◽

Epidemiological Surveys ◽

Third Stage

AbstractAngiostrongylus vasorum is a parasitic nematode that infects the heart and pulmonary artery and its branches of domestic and wild canids. The parasite can use several species of terrestrial and aquatic molluscs as intermediate hosts, although susceptibility varies. Pomacea canaliculata is a mollusc found in lakes, swamps and rivers in South America. In this study, we evaluated the susceptibility, parasite growth, oviposition and larval development of 282 P. canaliculata infected with 500 A. vasorum first-instar larvae (L1). From day 5 post-infection (pi) to day 30 pi, seven specimens per day were sacrificed to recover the larval instars. We compared 50 egg masses from infected and uninfected molluscs to determine the number of eggs per clutch, the hatching rate and the growth of the molluscs. The percentage of recovered larvae ranged from 39.17% to 67.5%. First-stage larvae (L1) were found until day 19 pi, second-stage larvae (L2) were found from days 11 to 25 pi, and third-stage larvae (L3) were recovered only after day 19 pi. Infected snails exhibited the most eggs during spawning, although the rate of hatching and shell size were lower in the infected snails compared with controls. This is the first report of an experimental infection of P. canaliculata with A. vasorum, and the results confirm the non-specificity of the nematode in relation to the intermediate host and indicate the importance of epidemiological surveys of this parasite and mollusc.

Download Full-text

Potential remedy against Echinococcus multilocularis in wild red foxes using baits with anthelmintic distributed around fox breeding dens in Hokkaido, Japan

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182002001968 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 125 (2) ◽

pp. 119-129 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

H. TSUKADA ◽

K. HAMAZAKI ◽

S. GANZORIG ◽

T. IWAKI ◽

K. KONNO ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Echinococcus Multilocularis ◽

Red Fox ◽

Red Foxes ◽

Clethrionomys Rufocanus ◽

Efficient Control ◽

Positive Rate ◽

Potential Remedy ◽

Patent Infection

The effect of bait-delivered anthelmintic to reduce the prevalence of Echinococcus multilocularis in wild red foxes was evaluated in Koshimizu, in the eastern part of Hokkaido, Japan. The study area (200 km2) was divided into baited and non-baited sections. The anthelmintic baits were distributed around fox den sites in the baited section every month for 13 months. After 1 year of the anthelmintic bait distribution, the prevalence of E. multilocularis in foxes, evaluated either by the parasite egg examination (from 27.1 to 5.6%) or coproantigen ELISA (from 59.6 to 29.7%), decreased in the baited section contrasting to that in the non-baited section (parasite egg: from 18.8 to 24.2%; ELISA: from 41.9 to 45.8%). The prevalence of E. multilocularis in grey red-backed vole Clethrionomys rufocanus, caught around fox dens, born after bait distribution also decreased and was significantly lower than that in non-baited section. However, within the study periods, the coproantigen-positive rate in fox faeces sporadically increased, while egg-positive rate constantly decreased. Since coproantigen ELISA can detect pre-patent infection, this observation indicates that reinfection pressure in the baited section was still high even after the 13 months of anthelmintic bait distribution. Therefore, the bait distribution longer than our study period is required for the efficient control of E. multilocularis in wild red fox population.

Download Full-text

The effect of host age and inoculation dose on infection dynamics of Angiostrongylus vasorum in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes)

Parasites & Vectors ◽

10.1186/s13071-016-1940-4 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Pia Webster ◽

Jesper Monrad ◽

Christian M. O. Kapel ◽

Annemarie T. Kristensen ◽

Asger L. Jensen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vulpes Vulpes ◽

Angiostrongylus Vasorum ◽

Host Age ◽

Red Foxes ◽

Inoculation Dose ◽

Infection Dynamics

Download Full-text

Simple modification to improve reliability of copro-DNA examinations for diagnosing Echinococcus multilocularis infections in red foxes

Journal of Helminthology ◽

10.1017/s0022149x20000255 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 94 ◽

Author(s):

T. Irie ◽

T. Ito ◽

H. Kouguchi ◽

K. Uraguchi

Keyword(s):

Dna Extraction ◽

Echinococcus Multilocularis ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Sequencing Analysis ◽

Red Foxes ◽

Simple Modification ◽

Pcr Inhibitors ◽

Examination Technique ◽

Modified Method ◽

Infection Pressure

Abstract Epidemiological studies of Echinococcus multilocularis infections in definitive hosts require a reliable and economic diagnostic method. In this study, the current copro-DNA examination technique was modified by increasing the faecal amounts tested and adding a step to neutralize the faeces before DNA extraction. Reliability of the modified method was evaluated using rectal faecal samples from red foxes and comparing them with intestinal worms detected using the sedimentation and counting technique (SCT) following necropsy. The modified copro-DNA examination method demonstrated 93.9% sensitivity (138/147) on the SCT. Its detectability increased depending on the worm burden, and the sensitivity was 100% in cases harbouring over 1000 worms. From 111 SCT-negative cases, six (5.4%) were copro-DNA-positive, and all were confirmed as E. multilocularis via sequencing analysis. Five of the remaining 105 SCT-negative cases (4.8%) retained polymerase chain reaction (PCR) inhibitors in the extracted solution, suggesting that approximately 5% of the red fox faeces retained these inhibitors after treatment with the present copro-DNA extraction method. Although further evaluation is needed for faeces deposited in the wild, the present copro-DNA examination technique will help monitor the E. multilocularis prevalence in definitive hosts. When used for detailed evaluations of endemicity (e.g. changes in infection pressure or spread in non-endemic areas), the absence of PCR inhibitors should be confirmed, and multiple trials on faecal subsamples are recommended.

Download Full-text

First report of Angiostrongylus vasorum in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Serbia

Journal of the Hellenic Veterinary Medical Society ◽

10.12681/jhvms.19616 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 69 (4) ◽

pp. 1265

Author(s):

P. Gavrilović ◽

I. Todorović ◽

I. Pavlović ◽

A. Živulj

Keyword(s):

Vulpes Vulpes ◽

Present Finding ◽

Histopathological Examination ◽

Pulmonary Arteries ◽

Angiostrongylus Vasorum ◽

Red Foxes ◽

Reservoir Species ◽

Gross Lesions ◽

The Right

Angiostrongylosis caused by Angiostrongylus vasorum is an emerging disease in Europe and the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is considered as a main reservoir species for this parasite. Since there have been no reports of A. vasorum in red foxes in Serbia at the time of carrying out our investigations, the aim of the investigations was to explore the role of red foxes in South Banat (northern Serbia) as reservoirs for A. vasorum. Legally hunted foxes were autopsied in the Veterinary Specialised Institute “Pančevo”. The heart, lungs and pulmonary artery were examined macroscopically for evidence of gross lesions and for the presence of adult specimens of A. vasorum. Impression smears of the changed lung tissue were examined microscopically for the presence of first stage larvae of A. vasorum and histopathological examination was performed on lung samples. Out of 24 examined foxes hunted in different locations, 13 had lesions manifested in the lungs, which were suspected to be indicative of angiostrongylosis. In the majority of the foxes distal parts of the pulmonary lobes were swollen, firm, and discoloured to dark-red, dark-yellow and darkbrown. The characteristic lesions in distal parts of the pulmonary lobes were completely consistent with the presence of adult parasites in the right heart and pulmonary arteries, and with the presence of the first stage larvae in the impression smears. The present finding contributes to the knowledge of geographic distribution of angiostrongylosis in red foxes in Europe and provides valuable information that should raise awareness in veterinarians to consider this parasitosis in dogs with signs of cardiopulmonary diseases.

Download Full-text

Population Structure of Harvested Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and Coyotes (Canis latrans) on Prince Edward Island, Canada

The Canadian Field-Naturalist ◽

10.22621/cfn.v126i4.1374 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 126 (4) ◽

pp. 288 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Wendela Wapenaar ◽

Fiep De Bie ◽

David Johnston ◽

Ryan M. O'Handley ◽

Herman W. Barkema

Keyword(s):

Population Dynamics ◽

Wildlife Management ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Vulpes Vulpes ◽

Prince Edward Island ◽

Canis Latrans ◽

Habitat Type ◽

Red Foxes ◽

Wild Canids ◽

Agricultural Areas

An understanding of the population dynamics and habitat of wild Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and Coyotes (Canis latrans) is a prerequisite to wildlife management. This information is also important in assessing the risk these wild canids pose to the public and domestic animals. On Prince Edward Island, information on age, sex, reproductive activity, and habitat use of 271 Red Foxes and 201 Coyotes was collected in the hunting and trapping season of 2004–2005. The estimated age of Red Foxes and Coyotes ranged from 0.5 to 13.5 years. A large proportion of harvested Red Foxes and Coyotes (58% and 48%, respectively) consisted of juveniles. The sex ratio was not significantly different from 1:1 for either species. Average litter size was 5.0 and 5.2 for Red Foxes and Coyotes, respectively. Number of placental scars ranged from 0 to 7 in Red Foxes and from 0 to 11 in Coyotes. Agricultural areas were the main habitat type (52%) of harvested Red Foxes. For harvested Coyotes, forest was the main habitat (44%), followed closely by agricultural areas (43%). Urban areas were a significant part (13%) of the habitat of Red Foxes. These data can be used to monitor population dynamics over time, provide information for wildlife management, and provide information on potential risk areas for disease transmission by wild canids.

Download Full-text

Anatomo-pathological aspects of parasitism by nematodes of the superfamily Metastrongyloidea in wild crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous) in Midwestern Brazil

Ciência Rural ◽

10.1590/0103-8478cr20160547 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 47 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jair Alves Ferreira Júnior ◽

Guilherme Reis Blume ◽

Susy Karoline Hermes de Sousa ◽

Clarissa Machado de Carvalho ◽

Chris Gardiner

Keyword(s):

Pulmonary Arteries ◽

Federal District ◽

Angiostrongylus Vasorum ◽

Anatomical Location ◽

Wild Animals ◽

Nervous Systems ◽

Histological Features ◽

Wild Canids ◽

Cerdocyon Thous ◽

Domestic Carnivores

ABSTRACT: Nematodes of the superfamily Metastrongyloidea affect the respiratory, cardiovascular, and nervous systems of domestic carnivores and are uncommonly detected in wild animals. This report describes the lesions associated with pulmonary parasitism by nematodes of the superfamily Metastrongyloidea in a wild crab-eating fox ( Cerdocyon thous ) in the Federal District, Brazil. Grossly, there was pulmonary hyperemia, edema, and emphysema. Microscopically, there was granulomatous arteritis associated with intravascular metastrongylid. The anatomical location, characteristic lesion, and histological features of the parasite suggested that the nematode involved in this case is Angiostrongylus vasorum . This worm is frequently reported parasitizing pulmonary arteries of domestic canids but is uncommonly described in wild canids in Midwestern Brazil.

Download Full-text