Troglostrongylus brevior: a feline lungworm of paediatric concern

Transmammary transmission of Troglostrongylus brevior feline lungworm: a lesson from our gardens

“…This is further confirmed by an epidemiological study performed in cats from different age groups in Italy, which demonstrated that in young cats and kittens (i.e., ≤ 6 months) T. brevior is the most frequent lungworm detected (i.e. 89.8 %; 44/49), whereas in individuals aging 6–24 months, a low prevalence was observed ( Cavalera et al, 2018 ).…”

“…This finding advocates for the need of suitable age-related therapeutic protocols against T. brevior in kittens and pregnant females, since it is suggested that adult cats present less risk to developing clinical disease by T. brevior as compared to kittens ( Cavalera et al, 2018 ), facilitating its transmission from asymptomatic pregnant queens that are not treated before delivering their kittens, and ultimately enabling the infection during nursing. Some treatment (i.e.…”

“…Likewise, the same treatment has also been effective against T. brevior and A. abstrusus mixed infection in a ∼2-month-old kitten ( Di Cesare et al, 2015 ). However, the safety of most chemicals against feline lungworms has not been guaranteed for kittens or pregnant female ( Cavalera et al, 2018 ).…”

“…Another species of feline lungworm, Troglostrongylus brevior ( Gerichter, 1949 ) has for long time been regarded as of minor importance, most likely because it was overlooked by parasitologists ( Brianti et al, 2012 ) and eventually considered typical of wild cats ( Traversa and Di Cesare, 2013 ; Diakou et al, 2015 ). However, in the last decade, T. brevior has gained substantial attention of the scientific community after being identified as causative agent of severe broncho-pulmonary disease in a large number of cat population, mostly in kittens and young cats ( Brianti et al, 2012 , 2013 ; Di Cesare et al, 2014 ; Cavalera et al, 2018 ; Salant et al, 2020 ). For instance, a study performed in some European countries recorded that 19.5 % of the cats that scored positive for lungworms were infected by T. brevior ( Giannelli et al, 2017 ).…”

“…Though a comprehensive picture of the distribution of this parasite is still far from being achieved, it has been reported in domestic cats from many countries in Europe, including Spain ( Jefferies et al, 2010 ; Giannelli et al, 2017 ), Italy ( Brianti et al, 2012 , 2013 ; Tamponi et al, 2014 , 2017 ; Giannelli et al, 2017 ; Cavalera et al, 2018 ; Traversa et al, 2019 ), Greece ( Diakou et al, 2014 , 2015 ), Cyprus ( Diakou et al, 2017 ), Bulgaria ( Giannelli et al, 2017 ) and Romania ( Deak et al, 2017 ). At the same time, T. brevior has been recorded in wild felids ( Felis silvestris silvestris ) from Italy ( Falsone et al, 2014 ; Napoli et al, 2016 ; Veronesi et al, 2016 ) and Greece ( Liatis et al, 2017 ), and in Lynx lynx from Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Alić et al, 2015 ) suggesting the circulation of this parasite in endemic areas.…”