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Journal Article

Pathology of naturally acquired Angiostrongylus vasorum infection in the red fox (Vulpes vulpes).

01 Aug 1991-Angewandte Parasitologie (Angew Parasitol)-Vol. 32, Iss: 3, pp 121-126
TL;DR: The lesions observed in the foxes seemed to be less severe and mainly confined to the ventral parts of the lung lobes which showed granulomatous pneumonia, which is believed to represent an important reservoir of A. vasorum.
Abstract: 199 out of 509 foxes culled in a rabies control scheme, were shown to be infected with the metastrongylid parasite Angiostrongylus vasorum. Pathological lesions associated with angiostrongylosis in the fox are described and compared to reported lesions of A. vasorum infection in the dog. The lesions observed in the foxes seemed to be less severe and mainly confined to the ventral parts of the lung lobes which showed granulomatous pneumonia. Right ventricular hypertrophy of the heart was present in all infected foxes. It is believed that the fox population represents an important reservoir of A. vasorum.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The knowledge of the most important heartworm and lungworm infections of dogs and cats in Europe is reviewed, in particular recent advances in epidemiology, clinical and control are described and discussed.
Abstract: Cardiopulmonary nematodes of dogs and cats cause parasitic diseases of central relevance in current veterinary practice. In the recent past the distribution of canine and feline heartworms and lungworms has increased in various geographical areas, including Europe. This is true especially for the metastrongyloids Aelurostrongylus abstrusus, Angiostrongylus vasorum and Crenosoma vulpis, the filarioid Dirofilaria immitis and the trichuroid Eucoleus aerophilus (syn. Capillaria aerophila). The reasons of this emergence are little known but many drivers such as global warming, changes in vector epidemiology and movements in animal populations, may be taken into account. The purpose of this article is to review the knowledge of the most important heartworm and lungworm infections of dogs and cats in Europe. In particular recent advances in epidemiology, clinical and control are described and discussed.

287 citations


Cites background from "Pathology of naturally acquired Ang..."

  • ...vasorum infection was first reported over twenty years ago in red foxes [16,17] and for quite some time infection was likely confined to this host until recently, when angiostrongylosis has been reported with increasing frequency in dogs [18-20]....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The biology, epidemiology, clinical aspects and management of canine pulmonary angiostrongylosis, an emerging snail-borne disease causing verminous pneumonia and coagulopathy in dogs, are discussed.
Abstract: Canine pulmonary angiostrongylosis is an emerging snail-borne disease causing verminous pneumonia and coagulopathy in dogs. The parasite is found in Europe, North and South America and Africa, covering tropical, subtropical and temperate regions. Its distribution has been characterised by isolated endemic foci, with only sporadic occurrences outside these areas. In the last two decades, the literature has been dominated by several case reports and small case series describing sporadic disease in old or new endemic areas. Case reports and experimental studies with high doses of infective third stage larvae may not reflect what happens under field conditions. There is insufficient understanding of the spread of infection and the dynamic consequences of this parasite in the canine population. This review discusses the biology, epidemiology, clinical aspects and management of canine pulmonary angiostrongylosis.

207 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Close geographical overlap of parasite distribution in foxes and dogs does not necessarily indicate an important wildlife reservoir of infection, but does suggest that A. vasorum might be spreading northwards.

120 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results indicate that cardiopulmonary nematodes occur in Central and southern Italy, thus they should be included in the differential diagnosis of pet cardiorespiratory diseases.
Abstract: Capillaria aerophila, Aelurostrongylus abstrusus, Angiostrongylus vasorum and Dirofilaria immitis are cardiopulmonary nematodes affecting dogs and cats and presently emerging in several countries. The results obtained in 2009 - 2010 during a study aiming to investigate the occurrence of these nematodes in regions from Central (Marche and Abruzzo regions--Sites A and B, respectively) and southern (Apulia--Site C) Italy are here reported. A total of 534 and 436 individual faecal samples collected from dogs and cats were examined, together with 471 and 34 faecal environmental samples taken from dog shelters and catteries. One hundred and ninety-two individual blood samples were also collected from dogs. Faeces were examined using copromicroscopical flotations and Baermann technique, whereas blood samples were tested by Knott's method. Eggs of C. aerophila were detected in 1.48 % and 20 % (Site A), 8.67 % and 2.71 % (Site B), and 16.67 % and 0 % (Site C) of individual and environmental canine samples. C. aerophila was found in 2.90 % (Site A), 3.03 % (Site B) and 14.29 % (Site C) of individual cats. Larvae of A. vasorum were found in 0.96 % and 2.48 % of individual and environmental samples from Site B, respectively, while those of A. abstrusus in 1.82 % (Site A) and 9.96 % (Site B) of individual faeces. Microfilariae of Dirofilaria immitis, identified on the basis of key morphological and morphometric features, were detected in 2.56 % of samples collected from Site B. Despite the small sample size, these results indicate that cardiopulmonary nematodes occur in Central and southern Italy, thus they should be included in the differential diagnosis of pet cardiorespiratory diseases. Larger surveys are necessary to gain more information on the diffusion of these parasites, especially for C. aerophila and A. vasorum, for which the actual distribution is poorly known.

75 citations


Cites background from "Pathology of naturally acquired Ang..."

  • ...In Italy, the long absence of reports after the old cases of infection in foxes (Poli et al. 1991) has been recently terminated by the description of different reports of canine angiostrongylosis from Central/southern Italy (Traversa et al. 2008c; Sasanelli et al. 2008; Di Cesare et al. 2010)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Angiostrongylus vasorum and Crenosoma vulpis infect the pulmonary arteries and airways of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and whether infection with one affects that of the other is investigated.
Abstract: Angiostrongylus vasorum and Crenosoma vulpis infect the pulmonary arteries and airways, respectively, of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Both are widespread in Europe, but within North America, A. vasorum occurs only on the island of Newfoundland. During 2000–2002, 366 red fox carcasses were examined from six regions of Newfoundland for the purpose of determining the distribution of both parasites, effects on the condition of their host, and whether infection with one affects that of the other. Crenosoma vulpis occurred island-wide with a prevalence of 87% and mean (±SE) intensity of 230 ± 20.8. Young-of-the-year red foxes had more C. vulpis (260 ± 39.4) than yearlings (91 ± 31.2) or adults (78 ± 41.1) (χ2 = 25.72, df = 2, p < 0.001), and numbers of adult worm were weakly related to fecal output of first-stage larvae (r2 = 0.20, p < 0.001) but not to host sex or body-fat index. Angiostrongylus vasorum occurred only in southeast Newfoundland where prevalence was 56% and mean intensity was 72 ± 7.6. Its distribu...

74 citations


Cites background from "Pathology of naturally acquired Ang..."

  • ...vasorum in dogs and red foxes reportedly can thicken and enlarge the heart (Dodd 1973; Poli et al. 1991; Patteson et al. 1993) and right ventricle (Poli et al....

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  • ...Angiostrongylus vasorum is also thought to infect the diaphragmatic lobes more frequently than the other lobes (Bwangamoi 1974; Poli et al. 1991; Simpson 1996)....

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  • ...The pulmonary arteries may be enlarged and partially occluded, either by adult worms or by extensive fibrosis, causing enlargement of the heart (Mahaffey et al. 1981; Poli et al. 1991; Martin et al. 1993; Jeffery 2002)....

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  • ...vasorum showed conspicuous areas of discoloration and consolidation concentrated at the margins of the infected lobes, a pattern previously noted in both dogs and red foxes (Roche and Kelliher 1986; Poli et al. 1991)....

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