In the past few decades, the relevance of Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens, causing cardiopulmonary and subcutaneous dirofilariosis in dogs and cats, and of Angiostrongylus vasorum, causing canine angiostrongylosis, has steadily increased in Central and Northern Europe. In this review, a summary of published articles and additional reports dealing with imported or autochthonous cases of these parasites is provided for Central (Austria, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Luxemburg, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Switzerland) and Northern (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) Europe. Research efforts focusing on Dirofilaria spp. and A. vasorum have varied by country, and cross-border studies are few. The housing conditions of dogs, pet movements, the spread of competent vectors, and climate change are important factors in the spread of these nematodes. Dogs kept outside overnight are a major factor for the establishment of Dirofilaria spp. However, the establishment of invasive, diurnal, synanthropic, competent mosquito vectors such as Aedes albopictus may also influence the establishment of Dirofilaria spp. The drivers of the spread of A. vasorum remain not fully understood, but it seems to be influenced by habitats shared with wild canids, dog relocation, and possibly climatic changes; its pattern of spreading appears to be similar in different countries. Both Dirofilaria spp. and A. vasorum merit further monitoring and research focus in Europe.

Background Strongyloides stercoralis is endemic in tropical and subtropical regions, but reports of infections in central and northern Europe have been recently increasing. Infections occur mainly in humans and dogs. In dogs, both dog-adapted and zoonotic S. stercoralis genotypes seem to occur. Clinical manifestations mainly include gastrointestinal and respiratory signs. The severity of the disease can vary greatly and depends on the immune status of the host. The infection is potentially fatal in immunosuppressed individuals, either medically induced or due to an underlying disease, in which hyperinfections and disseminated infections with extraintestinal parasite dissemination may occur. Methods Diagnosis was based on coproscopy, including flotation and the Baermann funnel technique, histology of small intestinal biopsies and molecular analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and hypervariable regions I and IV (HVR I and HVR IV) of the nuclear 18S rDNA loci. Results Two independent cases of severe canine S.stercoralis infection in Austria are presented. In both cases, S. stercoralis was detected in histological sections of the small intestine and with the Baermann funnel technique. Molecular analysis revealed strains with zoonotic potential. Case 1 was a 1-year-old female French bulldog with a long history of respiratory and gastrointestinal signs, severe emaciation and apathy before S.stercoralis infection was diagnosed. Treatment with moxidectin (2.5 mg/kg body weight [BW], oral route) did not eliminate the infection, but treatment with ivermectin (0.2 mg/kg BW, subcutaneously) was successful. Case 2 consisted of two 2-month-old Pomeranian puppies, one female and one male, from a litter of four, which died soon after presenting dyspnoea and haemorrhagic diarrhoea (female) or torticollis (male); S.stercoralis infection was first diagnosed post-mortem. Conclusion More attention should be paid to this nematode because although it appears to be rare in Austria, it is easily overlooked on standard coproscopy unless a Baermann funnel technique is used, and even then, it can be missed. Moxidectin is not always successful in eliminating the infection, and treatment with ivermectin should be considered in cases of infection. Graphical Abstract

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This case report is about a seven-year-old male neutered European Shorthair cat infected by Dirofilaria immitis as the first reported autochthonous Dirofilaria immitis infection in Austria. There was no history of periods abroad. Echocardiography showed suspected D. immitis in the right cardiac chamber with increased pulmonary pressure and ascites. Surgical removal of the heartworms was performed. Twenty adult heartworms were removed by transvenous jugular approach under general anesthesia and stored in 4% formalin. Five out of 20 specimens were examined via light and stereomicroscopy and feline heartworm infection was confirmed. Amplification of a 203 bp or 724 bp fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene was unsuccessful. After surgery the cat developed acute renal failure but recovered quickly. One year later, the cat underwent a control examination including echocardiography and blood work. There were no more D. immitis detectable at echocardiography. Lung pressure was mildly increased. Complete blood count and creatinine were unremarkable. The Knott’s test and Dirofilaria-Antigen-test produced negative results. The cat did not show any clinical signs during the follow-up period. The aim of this case report is to highlight the growing risk of acquiring infection with D. immitis not only for Austrian dogs, but also for cats. This case report represents the first report of autochthonous D. immitis infection in Austria. Moreover, even if the prognosis in cats with caval syndrome due to feline heartworm disease is guarded to poor, surgical removal of the filariae can be a successful treatment option.

Babesia vulpes is a small Babesia prevalent in foxes in Europe and mainly clinically affects dogs in north-western Spain. A dog imported from this region that had been living in Germany for three years developed splenic torsion. After splenectomy, the dog underwent immunosuppressive therapy because of autoimmune disease due to haemotrophic Mycoplasma sp. infection. As clinical signs worsened, small Babesia were detected in a blood smear and identified as B. vulpes by molecular analysis. Anaemia, thrombocytosis, elevated liver enzymes, and renal parameters were the most significant findings in blood analysis. The dog was treated with a combination of atovaquone (20 mg/kg BW, BID), proguanil hydrochloride (8 mg/kg BW, BID) and azithromycin (10 mg/kg BW, SID), which led to an increase in the cycle threshold in real-time PCR and the absence of B. vulpes in the blood smear. However, after clinical signs deteriorated, the dog was euthanised. This case report supports the recommendation to screen imported dogs for pathogens and highlights the impact of splenectomy on the course of infection.