Intermediate and paratenic hosts in the life cycle of Aelurostrongylus abstrusus in natural environment

Jeżewski, Witold; Buńkowska-Gawlik, Katarzyna; Hildebrand, Joanna; Perec-Matysiak, Agnieszka; Laskowski, Zdzisław

doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2013.09.003

Cited by 38 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…These snails are usually farmed in outdoor pens, which indeed may increase the risk for the biological interaction between snails, lungworms, and suitable felid hosts. Recently, infective A. abstrusus larvae have been found in the slug Arion lusitanicus in Poland ( 16 ). It is worth mentioning that A. lusitanicus is widespread and since the 1950s it has become established in many European countries, where it is now considered as a serious pest in agriculture and private gardens, parks, and forests ( 78 ).…”

Section: The Past and The Presentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The majority of heartworms and lungworms infecting cats have an indirect life cycle, as they require an intermediate host for their development. Several species of mosquitoes, where Culex pipiens pipiens is the most important, transmit D. immitis , while a plethora of terrestrial mollusks act as intermediate hosts for A. abstrusus ( 13 – 16 ). Moreover, some species of gastropods may be competent vectors of A. abstrusus and T. brevior at the same time ( 17 , 18 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cardio-Pulmonary Parasitic Nematodes Affecting Cats in Europe: Unraveling the Past, Depicting the Present, and Predicting the Future

Traversa

Cesare

2014

Front. Vet. Sci.

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Various cardio-pulmonary parasitic nematodes infecting cats have recently been fascinating and stimulating the attention of the Academia, pharmaceutical companies, and veterinary practitioners. This is the case of the metastrongyloids: Aelurostrongylus abstrusus and Troglostrongylus brevior, the trichuroid: Capillaria aerophila (syn. Eucoleus aerophilus), and the filarioid: Dirofilaria immitis. Apparently, these parasites have been emerging in several European countries, thus, gaining an important role in feline parasitology and clinical practice. Under a practical standpoint, a sound knowledge of the biological, epidemiological, and clinical impact of cardio-respiratory parasitoses affecting cats, in addition to a potential risk of introduction, establishment, and spreading of “new” parasites in Europe is mandatory in order to understand the present and future impact for feline medicine and to address new strategies of control and treatment. The purpose of the present article is to review the current knowledge of heartworm and lungworm infections in cats, discussing and comparing past and present issues, and predicting possible future scenarios.

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Section: The Past and The Presentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cardio-Pulmonary Parasitic Nematodes Affecting Cats in Europe: Unraveling the Past, Depicting the Present, and Predicting the Future

Traversa

Cesare

2014

Front. Vet. Sci.

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“…The prevalence of A. abstrusus infection ranges from 0.5% (Barutzki and Schaper, 2011) to 57% in symptomatic cats (Jefferies et al, 2010), with variations depending on the tested population and the diagnostic techniques applied. Cats are infected through ingestion of infectious third-stage larvae (L3) from an intermediate (snails and slugs) or paratenic host (mice, reptiles, birds) (Hamilton and McCaw, 1967;Jezewski et al, 2013;Scott, 1973). After migration and further development, the adult worms establish in the lung parenchyma of infected cats, where they reproduce.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection of specific antibodies in cats infected with the lung nematode Aelurostrongylus abstrusus

Zottler

Strübe

Schnyder

2017

Veterinary Parasitology

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Feline aelurostrongylosis, caused by the metastrongylid nematode Aelurostrongylus abstrusus, is an underestimated respiratory parasitosis. Its diagnosis currently mainly relies on the isolation of first stage larvae from fresh faecal samples. The aim of our study was to develop a serological test for the detection of specific antibodies against A. abstrusus by ELISA. We used recombinant major sperm protein (MSP) of the bovine lungworm Dictyocaulus viviparus as detection antigen and evaluated two different ELISA plates (Maxisorp and Immobilizer™ Amino-plate, Nunc Roskilde, Denmark) with two different enzyme systems [alkaline phosphatase (AP) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP)]. Sera from cats experimentally (n=54) and naturally (n=17) infected with A. abstrusus and from randomly selected cats with different medical issues (n=160) were used to determine sensitivity and specificity. Furthermore, cross-reactions were evaluated using sera from cats naturally (n=71) and experimentally (n=8) infected with different nematodes. A sensitivity of 100% was obtained with sera from experimentally infected cats at 10 weeks post infection using MSP on the Immobilizer™ Amino-plate with HRP, while it ranged between 90.5 and 95.2% in the other ELISA set-ups. Using sera from naturally infected cats, a sensitivity of 88.2% (95% confidence interval: 63.6-98.5%) was achieved in all four set-ups. The specificity was 85.2-94.4% in sera from uninfected cats prior to experimental infection and 68.1-90% in randomly selected cats depending on the plate and enzyme system. The number of seropositive cats increased over time post infection. Serological follow-up showed a decrease of antibody levels within 30days after anthelmintic treatment. Seropositive reactions were observed with sera from stray cats naturally infected with Toxocara cati, Capillaria sp., hookworms and Taeniidae; however, coproscopic false negative A. abstrusus findings cannot be excluded. The serological detection of specific antibodies against A. abstrusus using ELISA requires a single serum sample and therefore represents a valid alternative for reliable individual diagnosis of A. abstrusus in cats and facilitates mass screening, overcoming the usually difficult collection of cat faeces.

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“…As a result, paratenic hosts (i.e., rodents, birds, amphibians and reptiles) may play a crucial role in the epidemiology of A . abstrusus [ 15 , 16 ]. Metastrongyloid nematodes may, however, use additional routes of the infection, as it has been hypothesized for the vertical transmission of T .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Release of Lungworm Larvae from Snails in the Environment: Potential for Alternative Transmission Pathways

et al. 2015

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BackgroundGastropod-borne parasites may cause debilitating clinical conditions in animals and humans following the consumption of infected intermediate or paratenic hosts. However, the ingestion of fresh vegetables contaminated by snail mucus and/or water has also been proposed as a source of the infection for some zoonotic metastrongyloids (e.g., Angiostrongylus cantonensis). In the meantime, the feline lungworms Aelurostrongylus abstrusus and Troglostrongylus brevior are increasingly spreading among cat populations, along with their gastropod intermediate hosts. The aim of this study was to assess the potential of alternative transmission pathways for A. abstrusus and T. brevior L3 via the mucus of infected Helix aspersa snails and the water where gastropods died. In addition, the histological examination of snail specimens provided information on the larval localization and inflammatory reactions in the intermediate host.Methodology/Principal FindingsTwenty-four specimens of H. aspersa received ~500 L1 of A. abstrusus and T. brevior, and were assigned to six study groups. Snails were subjected to different mechanical and chemical stimuli throughout 20 days in order to elicit the production of mucus. At the end of the study, gastropods were submerged in tap water and the sediment was observed for lungworm larvae for three consecutive days. Finally, snails were artificially digested and recovered larvae were counted and morphologically and molecularly identified. The anatomical localization of A. abstrusus and T. brevior larvae within snail tissues was investigated by histology. L3 were detected in the snail mucus (i.e., 37 A. abstrusus and 19 T. brevior) and in the sediment of submerged specimens (172 A. abstrusus and 39 T. brevior). Following the artificial digestion of H. aspersa snails, a mean number of 127.8 A. abstrusus and 60.3 T. brevior larvae were recovered. The number of snail sections positive for A. abstrusus was higher than those for T. brevior.ConclusionsResults of this study indicate that A. abstrusus and T. brevior infective L3 are shed in the mucus of H. aspersa or in water where infected gastropods had died submerged. Both elimination pathways may represent alternative route(s) of environmental contamination and source of the infection for these nematodes under field conditions and may significantly affect the epidemiology of feline lungworms. Considering that snails may act as intermediate hosts for other metastrongyloid species, the environmental contamination by mucus-released larvae is discussed in a broader context.

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Intermediate and paratenic hosts in the life cycle of Aelurostrongylus abstrusus in natural environment

Cited by 38 publications

References 19 publications

Cardio-Pulmonary Parasitic Nematodes Affecting Cats in Europe: Unraveling the Past, Depicting the Present, and Predicting the Future

Cardio-Pulmonary Parasitic Nematodes Affecting Cats in Europe: Unraveling the Past, Depicting the Present, and Predicting the Future

Detection of specific antibodies in cats infected with the lung nematode Aelurostrongylus abstrusus

Release of Lungworm Larvae from Snails in the Environment: Potential for Alternative Transmission Pathways

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