Lungworms and gastrointestinal parasites of domestic cats: a European perspective
2017
Giannelli, Alessio | Capelli, Gioia | Joachim, Anja | Hinney, Barbara | Losson, Bertrand | Kirkova, Zvezdelina | René-Martellet, Magalie | Papadopoulos, Elias | Farkas, Róbert | Napoli, Ettore | Brianti, Emanuele | Tamponi, Claudia | Varcasia, Antonio | Margarida Alho, Ana | Madeira de Carvalho, Luís | Cardoso, Luís | Maia, Carla | Mircean, Viorica | Mihalca, Andrei Daniel | Miró, Guadalupe | Schnyder, Manuela | Cantacessi, Cinzia | Colella, Vito | Cavalera, Maria Alfonsa | Latrofa, Maria Stefania | Annoscia, Giada | Knaus, Martin | Halos, Lénaïg | Beugnet, Frederic | Otranto, Domenico | Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, ; Università degli studi di Bari Aldo Moro = University of Bari Aldo Moro (UNIBA) | Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe) | Department of Pathobiology ; Institute of Parasitology | University of Veterinary Medicine | Faculty of Veterinary Medicine | Université de Liège = University of Liège = Universiteit van Luik = Universität Lüttich (ULiège) | Department of Parasitology ; Faculty of Medicine | Unité Mixte de Recherche d'Épidémiologie des maladies Animales et zoonotiques (UMR EPIA) ; Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-VetAgro Sup - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche en alimentation, santé animale, sciences agronomiques et de l'environnement (VAS) | Laboratory of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases ; Aristotle University of Thessaloniki | Department of Parasitology and Zoology ; University of Veterinary Medicine | Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie ; Università degli Studi di Messina = University of Messina (UniMe) | Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria (DIMEVET) ; Università degli Studi di Milano = University of Milan (UNIMI) | Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon ; CIISA Interdisciplinary | Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro | Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM) | Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical | Universidade Nova de Lisboa = NOVA University Lisbon (NOVA) | Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria ; Universidad Complutense de Madrid = Complutense University of Madrid [Madrid] (UCM) | Universität Zürich [Zürich] = University of Zurich (UZH) | Department of Veterinary Medicine ; University of Cambridge [UK] (CAM) | Kathrinenhof Research Center ; Merial GmbH | Merial S.A.S.
International audience
Show more [+] Less [-]English. With the exception of Aelurostrongylus abstrusus, feline lungworms have been poorly studied. Information on their distribution is patchy and mostly limited to case reports. In this study, the occurrence of feline lungworms and co-infecting gastrointestinal parasites has been investigated in 12 European countries (i.e. Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom). An average of 10 domestic cats, with regular outdoor access, was sampled each month for 12 months, and freshly passed faeces were collected. Stools were processed using a McMaster assay and a quantitative Baermann-Wetzel method. Animals positive for lungworms and/or gastrointestinal parasites were treated with a formulation containing fipronil, (S)-methoprene, eprinomectin, and praziquantel (Broadline®, Merial), and re-sampled 28 days post-treatment. The association between lungworm infection and risk factors was analysed using statistical medians/means and the efficacy of the treatment against each lungworm species was assessed. Of 1990 cats sampled, 613 (30.8%) were positive for at least one parasite, while 210 (10.6%) were infected by lungworms. The prevalence of lungworm infection varied between the sampled sites, with the highest recorded in Bulgaria (35.8%) and the lowest in Switzerland (0.8%). None of the cats from Austria or the United Kingdom were infected by lungworms. Aelurostrongylus abstrusus was the species most frequently detected (78.1%), followed by Troglostrongylus brevior (19.5%), Eucoleus aerophilus (14.8%) and Oslerus rostratus (3.8%). The overall efficacy of the treatment was 99% for A. abstrusus and 100% for T. brevior, O. rostratus and E. aerophilus. Data presented provide a comprehensive account of the diagnosis, epidemiology and treatment of feline lungworms in Europe, as well as of the occurrence of co-infections by gastrointestinal parasites.
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