The Output of First Stage Larvae by Cats Infested with <i>Aelurostrongylus abstrusus</i>

Hamilton, John M.; McCaw, A. W.

doi:10.1017/s0022149x00017892

Cited by 25 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…The firststage larvae (L1s) pass up the bronchial escalator and are swallowed and released via the feces into the environment (2,4). L1s are then ingested by slugs and snails that act as intermediate hosts (14,17), while rodents, frogs, lizards, snakes, and birds can be paratenic hosts (2,4). The felid definitive hosts become infected by ingesting a mollusk and/or a paratenic host (2).…”

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Diagnostic and Clinical Implications of a Nested PCR Specific for Ribosomal DNA of the Feline Lungworm Aelurostrongylus abstrusus (Nematoda, Strongylida)

Traversa

Iorio

Otranto³

2008

J Clin Microbiol

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Aelurostrongylus abstrusus (Nematoda, Strongylida, Metastrongyloidea) is a cosmopolitan parasite of cats and causes severe respiratory distress. Information on the biology and epidemiology of feline aelurostrongylosis is fragmentary, mainly due to the limits inherent in the classical diagnosis. In the present work, a two-step nested PCR based on the use of genetic markers in the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) of ribosomal DNA was established for A. abstrusus in different biological samples. Characterization of the ITS2 (321 bp of length) revealed a G؉C content of 39.5%. To exploit the sequence difference between the ITS2 of A. abstrusus and those of other common feline endoparasites, specific primers were designed and tested by PCR for their specificities and sensitivities. The PCR assay was validated on a panel of fecal (i.e., feces, flotation supernatant, and Baermann sediment) and pharyngeal swab samples from cats with known histories of lungworm infections, and it showed a specificity of 100% and a sensitivity of up to 96.6%. Also, the nested PCR was able to identify cats that were actually infected but that tested negative by the classical diagnostic methods. This PCR method was shown to be a powerful tool for the molecular diagnosis of feline aelurostrongylosis, overcoming the constraints of the classical diagnosis. The implications of such a molecular tool for further bioepidemiological studies of both intermediate and definitive hosts have been discussed.

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confidence: 99%

Diagnostic and Clinical Implications of a Nested PCR Specific for Ribosomal DNA of the Feline Lungworm Aelurostrongylus abstrusus (Nematoda, Strongylida)

Traversa

Iorio

Otranto³

2008

J Clin Microbiol

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“…Diferente destes, observamos que a hipertrofia e hiperplasia de músculo liso alveolar e da parede de artérias mais frequentes foram moderada (50%), seguida de discreta (27,3%) e acentuada (22,7%). O diagnóstico da infecção por A. abstrusus pode ser difícil, e a detecção de parasitas em amostras fecais por meio do método de Baermann é geralmente considerada a técnica escolhida [20]. O método mais atual e com sensibilidade de até 100%, porém de alto custo, é baseado em marcadores genéticos, com DNA do parasito detectado por nested PCR [38].…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

“…Os gatos se infectam ingerindo moluscos e / ou hospedeiros paratênicos. As larvas emergem no estômago, passam através da corrente sanguínea para os pulmões, tornando-se adultas em 15 dias [20,34]. A. abstrusus é conhecido por infectar, principalmente, gatos que têm um comportamento de caça, e estão mais suscetíveis a ingerir os hospedeiros intermediários ou paratênicos [3,28].…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

“…O período pré-patente é de aproximadamente 9 semanas [20], quando os adultos de A. abstrusus começam a liberar ovos em bronquíolos e alvéolos. Os felinos infectados podem apresentar sinais respirató-rios, além de outras alterações inespecíficas e por vezes a enfermidade pode ser assintomática [37].…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

“…O diagnóstico da infecção por A. abstrusus pode ser difícil, e a detecção de parasitas em amostras fecais por meio do método de Baermann é geralmente considerada a técnica escolhida [20]. Em nossa região há relatos diagnósticos de aelurostrongilose em amostras fecais, portanto, com este trabalho, os aspectos epidemiológicos, os achados macroscópicos e histopatológicos serão descritos, para auxiliar clínicos e patologistas no diagnóstico desta enfermidade.…”

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Retrospective Study of Pneumony by Aelurostrongylus abstrusus in Cats

Pereira

Argenta

Rolim

et al. 2017

Acta Scientiae. Vet.

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Background: Aelurostrongylus abstrusus is a lungworm of cats with worldwide distribution. The adult forms of this parasite live in terminal bronchioles and alveoli, and can cause an asymptomatic disease or predominantly respiratory clinical signs, which can be occasionally cause of death. The aim of this study is to describe the epidemiological and pathological findings of infection by A. abstrusus through a necropsy retrospective study. Materials, Methods & Results: the necropsy records from the Department of Veterinary Pathology of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul were recovered and cats diagnosed with lungworm by Aelurostrongylus abstrusus were selected since January 1998 until December 2015. General data, such as age, sex, breed, clinical signs, and macroscopic lesions, were analyzed and compiled. The histological slides were reviewed by optical microscopy and detailed the microscopic aspects. In this study, were identified 22 cats with varying degrees of lungworm by A. abstrusus, and in 45.5% of the cases, this was the cause of death. Most part of the cats were mixed breed (19/22), and there were no sex predisposition. The age of the cats ranged from four months to 11 years old, and the most frequent age group was three to six years, with nine cases reported. In 37.5% of the cases were reported respiratory clinical signs, such as dyspnea and nasal discharge, and in 62.5%, clinical signs were not specific. The gross findings of the lungs ranged from reddish, or yellowish or white areas, and presence of multiples small, firm, and whitish nodules, measuring more than two centimeters in diameter, with multifocal distribution in the lung surface. Histologically, there was varied amount of parasites in different stages in the alveolar spaces, associated with the inflammatory infiltrate composed of lymphocytes, plasma cells, macrophages, neutrophils and occasional multinucleated giant cells, and hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the pulmonary smooth muscle and the wall of the arteries. Discussion: Aelurostrongylus abstrusus is the principal parasite of lung of cats, with worldwide distribution. In this study, we observed that 40.9% of cases were reported as of 2012, and may be due to a larger propagation of definitive intermediate and paratenic hosts, climate changes and/or the increase of rearing cats, and the consequent increase of hospital routine. Agreeing with the others authors, there is no sex predilection, but differ in the age group, in to the present study, the most frequent age group was between "3 to 6 years" of age (52.9%). The gross findings observed were similar to those described by other authors. Histologically was observed varied amount of parasites, and the degree of inflammatory infiltrate were very similar, but with a slight difference in discrete infiltration (36.4%). Others researchers have identified predominantly severe inflammatory infiltrate (57.9%). Hypertrophy and hyperplasia of pulmonary smooth muscle and the wall of the arteries was moderate (50%), however, in previ...

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

et al. 2008

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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.

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The Output of First Stage Larvae by Cats Infested with Aelurostrongylus abstrusus

Cited by 25 publications

References 8 publications

Diagnostic and Clinical Implications of a Nested PCR Specific for Ribosomal DNA of the Feline Lungworm Aelurostrongylus abstrusus (Nematoda, Strongylida)

Diagnostic and Clinical Implications of a Nested PCR Specific for Ribosomal DNA of the Feline Lungworm Aelurostrongylus abstrusus (Nematoda, Strongylida)

Retrospective Study of Pneumony by Aelurostrongylus abstrusus in Cats

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

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