Aelurostrongylus abstrusus in a feline colony from central Italy: clinical features, diagnostic procedures and molecular characterization

Abstract

Clinical features and conventional and molecular diagnostic procedures have been investigated and evaluated for the infection caused by the lungworm Aelurostrongylus abstrusus (Nematoda, Strongylida). Individual fecal samples from all cats living in a colony with suspected lungworm infection underwent coprological flotation with sugar and zinc sulfate solution and the Baermann migration method. Also, pharyngeal swabs collected for each animal were subjected to a diagnostic nested PCR assay specific for a region internal to the ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 of A. abstrusus. Eighteen animals were positive at the Baermann method, while 12 and ten out of them were negative when feces were subjected to the flotation with sugar and zinc sulfate solution, respectively. The nested PCR assay yielded positive results when using the pharyngeal swabs from the 18 coprologically positive cats and from six more cats which were coprologically negative, thus indicating an overall infection rate of 24.4%. Twenty-two out of 24 infected cats showed clinical respiratory symptoms and the most common were general respiratory distress, cough, wheezing, sneezing, and nasal discharge. These results indicate that cat aelurostrongylosis is of clinical importance and, thus, needs to be included in differential diagnosis of feline respiratory diseases. The importance of the disease is discussed together with pros and cons of different conventional and innovative diagnostic approaches.

Epidemiological survey of zoonotic helminths in feral cats in Gran Canaria island (Macaronesian archipelago-Spain)

“…In the present study, lizards and birds were found in the digestive tract of our animals, suggesting that they could act as paratenic hosts for many metastrongylid species when they are predated upon by cats, as has been reported by Jefferies et al (2010). Recent reports have indicated that infection in cats may be much more common than previously thought in endemic areas of Europe (Payo-Puente et al 2008;Traversa et al 2008Traversa et al , 2010. Moreover, emphasis should be placed on the diversity and potential for co-infections of cat metastrongylid species in Europe (Jefferies et al 2010).…”

Diagnosis and management of lungworm infections in cats

“…13,49 Generalised signs such as lethargy and weight loss have also been described. 50,51 Severe signs such as openmouth abdominal breathing (Figure 4), tachycardia and even death may occur in young, debilitated and/or immunosuppressed cats.…”

“…direct faecal smears and classical sedimentation and flotation methods are unreliable for diagnosing metastrongyloid infections, because of the unpredictable presence of L1s, inadequate sample size, low sensitivity and larval osmotic damage ( Figure 6) due to the high specific gravity concentrated solutions. 11,49,60 The gold standard faecal test to diagnose feline aelurostrongylosis and troglostrongylosis is the Baermann migration method. However, it requires 12-48 h before larvae can be found and specific skills in discriminating between L1s.…”

Larval development of the cat lungworm Aelurostrongylus abstrusus in the tropical freshwater snail Biomphalaria glabrata

“…Infected cats mostly show respiratory signs (Grandi et al 2005;Traversa et al 2008), but nonpathognomic signs (Genchi et al 2014;Schnyder et al 2014) or asymptomatic cats are also commonly observed (Genchi et al 2014). In some cases, an infection with A. abstrusus may result in death (Gerdin et al 2011;Dirven et al 2012;Philbey et al 2014).…”