Angiostrongylus vasorum

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Angiostrongylus vasorum
Angiostrongylus vasorum.jpg
Angiostrongylus vasorum (male) from canine blood sample.
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Nematoda
Class: Chromadorea
Order: Rhabditida
Family: Angiostrongylidae
Genus: Angiostrongylus
Species:
A. vasorum
Binomial name
Angiostrongylus vasorum
(Baillet, 1866) [1] (Kamensky, 1905)
Synonyms
  • Angiocaulus raillieti
  • Angiostrongylus raillieti

Angiostrongylus vasorum, also known as French heartworm, is a species of parasitic nematode in the family Metastrongylidae. It causes the disease canine angiostrongylosis in dogs. It is not zoonotic, that is, it cannot be transmitted to humans.

Contents

Not much is known about the biology of this species. [2]

Description

These nematode worms are small and pinkish in color. [3] The length is 14.0–20.5 mm. [3] The width is 0.170-0.306 mm. [3]

Females have a barbers pole appearance.

Life cycle

Body of female Angiostrongylus vasorum, detail of white genital strands wrapped around the digestive tract Angiostrongylus vasorum femelle.jpg
Body of female Angiostrongylus vasorum, detail of white genital strands wrapped around the digestive tract

The life cycle begins when L3 larvae are ingested by a definitive host, primarily the fox or dog. This can be through eating mollusc (intermediate hosts), frogs (paraentenic hosts), or from food infected with slime from the slugs or snails. The L3 larvae migrate to the mesenteric lymph nodes and molt to L4, and L5. The L5 larvae migrate through the portal circulation and through the liver and the adults end up at the pulmonary artery or right side of the heart.

The adults then mate and produce eggs. The eggs move to the alveolar capillaries via the circulation and hatch to L1 larvae. The L1 larvae burrow though the alveolar and are then coughed up and swallowed. L1 larvae are therefore passed in the feces of infected canids.

The L1 larvae infect intermediate hosts (primarily slugs and snails) by penetrating the foot of the mollusc and develop to L3 within.

Adult worms can live for 2 years. The pre-patent period is 6–10 weeks.

Pathology and diagnosis

Pathology is from both the adult worms, eggs and larvae.

Cardio-respiratory signs are one clinical symptom. Chronic, coughing, exercise intolerance, dyspnea and tachypnea in young dogs is due to blood vessels being blocked by adults, eggs and larvae.

The parasite also causes coagulopathies. Hematomas and prolonged bleeding are as a result of thrombocytopenia (a decrease in the number of platelets in the blood). Clotting factors V and VIII are also reduced. Hypochromic anemia is another symptom, also used in diagnosis and is due to the parasite interfering with hemoglobin synthesis.

Angiostrongylus vasorum also causes neurological damage. These present as ataxia, paresis, loss of vision, behavioral changes and seizures. All these symptoms are as a direct result of CNS hemorrhages.

Diagnosis is made from a combination of clinical signs and tests.

Imaging can show lung lesions in the peripheral lobes. Blood tests, showing eosinophillia, poor clotting ability and speed as well as hypochromic anemia all point towards a diagnosis. Some cases may also have hypercalcemia the cause of this unknown but may relate to granulomatous inflammation and macrophage production of alpha 1 hydroxylase. Fecal examination using the Baerman technique are unreliable, as egg output is irregular and the pre-patent period of the parasite is relatively long. However this test is more sensitive than a fecal smear examination. Multiple samples help reduce the risk of a false negative but should not be relied upon.

Post mortem examination can also reveal the causative agent to be Angiosrongylus vasorum. Again, lung lesions (looking for mottled lungs) are seen. Subcutaneous hematomas and enlarged blood vessels are common. Another sign is endocarditis of the right side of the heart and the tricuspid valve.

Hosts

The natural intermediate hosts of Angiostrongylus vasorum are land slugs, land snails and freshwater snails. [4] Angiostrongylus vasorum shows little host specificity in its intermediate host. [5]

Natural definitive hosts are domestic dogs [4] and various other carnivores include: [6]

Angiostrongylus vasorum lives in the right ventricle of the heart and the pulmonary artery. [4] The infection can be fatal in dogs. [7]

Natural paratenic hosts can be frogs, lizards, mice, rats. [4]

Experimental intermediate hosts of Angiostrongylus vasorum include:

Other known experimental hosts include: [3]

Experimental definitive hosts of Angiostrongylus vasorum include:

Distribution

The native area (enzootic) of Angiostrongylus vasorum is Western Europe (United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Spain). [4] [7]

Up to 23% of foxes are infected in southeast England. 5% of patent infected dogs are clinically healthy. There is a correlation between high fox incidence and domestic dog incidence, leading to the assumption that the fox is an important wildlife reservoir of this parasite.[ citation needed ]

Other known areas include

Larvae of the first stage were found in Australia, [4] Argentina and Greece. [3]

The area where this species is found is expanding. [2]

It has also been reported from South America: Brazil and Colombia, [7] but molecular analysis revealed that Angiostrongylus vasorum from Brazil has a different genotype. [6] Thus it is possible that it is a different species in Brazil and in elsewhere in South America. [6]

Treatment and prevention

In Europe imidacloprid 10%/moxidectin 2.5% is approved for treatment and prevention of Angiostrongylus vasorum in dogs. For treatment of infected dogs, a single dose should be administered. A further veterinary examination 30 days after treatment is recommended as some animals may require a second treatment. In endemic areas, monthly application will prevent angiostrongylosis and patent infection with Angiostrongylus vasorum. [11]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Toxocara canis</i> Species of roundworm

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Muelleries capillaris, also known as the hair or goat lungworm, is one of the most economically important nematodes of small ruminants. Although normally non-pathogenic in sheep, the parasite causes a disease condition called muelleriosis in goats. Sheep and goats commonly become infected after accidentally ingesting M. capillaris infected snails or slugs, and the parasite produces eggs in the lungs of its host, causing life-threatening bronchopneumonia in serious cases.

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<i>Angiostrongylus cantonensis</i> Species of roundworm

Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a nematode (roundworm) parasite that causes angiostrongyliasis, an infection that is the most common cause of eosinophilic meningitis in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Basin. The nematode commonly resides in the pulmonary arteries of rats, giving it the common name rat lungworm. Snails are the primary intermediate hosts, where larvae develop until they are infectious.

<i>Toxascaris leonina</i> Species of roundworm

Toxascaris leonina is a common parasitic roundworm found in dogs, cats, foxes, and related host species. T. leonina is an ascarid nematode, a worldwide distributed helminth parasite which is in a division of eukaryotic parasites that, unlike external parasites such as lice and fleas, live inside their host. The definitive hosts of T. leonina include canids and felines (cats), while the intermediate hosts are usually rodents, such as mice or rats. Infection occurs in the definitive host when the animal eats an infected rodent. While T. leonina can occur in either dogs or cats, it is far more frequent in cats.

Capillaria plica is a parasitic nematode which is most often found in the urinary bladder, and occasionally in the kidneys, of dogs and foxes. It has also been found in the domestic cat, and various wild mammals. Its presence usually produces no clinical symptoms, but in some cases, it leads to hematuria, cystitis, or difficulty in urination.

<i>Thelazia callipaeda</i> Species of worm

Thelazia callipaeda is a parasitic nematode, and the most common cause of thelaziasis in humans, dogs and cats. It was first discovered in the eyes of a dog in China in 1910. By 2000, over 250 human cases had been reported in the medical literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thelaziasis</span> Medical condition

Thelaziasis is the term for infestation with parasitic nematodes of the genus Thelazia. The adults of all Thelazia species discovered so far inhabit the eyes and associated tissues of various mammal and bird hosts, including humans. Thelazia nematodes are often referred to as "eyeworms".

<i>Biomphalaria glabrata</i> Species of mollusc

Biomphalaria glabrata is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails.

Angiostrongylus costaricensis is a species of parasitic nematode and is the causative agent of abdominal angiostrongyliasis in humans. It occurs in Latin America and the Caribbean.

<i>Biomphalaria tenagophila</i> Species of gastropod

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<i>Heterophyes heterophyes</i> Species of fluke

Heterophyes heterophyes, or the intestinal fish fluke, was discovered by Theodor Maximaillian Bilharz in 1851. This parasite was found during an autopsy of an Egyptian mummy. H. heterophyes is found in the Middle East, West Europe and Africa. They use different species to complete their complex lifestyle. Humans and other mammals are the definitive host, first intermediate host are snails, and second intermediate are fish. Mammals that come in contact with the parasite are dogs, humans, and cats. Snails that are affected by this parasite are the Cerithideopsilla conica. Fish that come in contact with this parasite are Mugil cephalus, Tilapia milotica, Aphanius fasciatus, and Acanthgobius sp. Humans and mammals will come in contact with this parasite by the consumption of contaminated or raw fish. This parasite is one of the smallest endoparasite to infect humans. It can cause intestinal infection called heterophyiasis.

<i>Trichinella britovi</i> Species of roundworm

Trichinella britovi is a nematode parasite responsible for a zoonotic disease called trichinellosis. Currently, eight species of Trichinella are known, only three of which cause trichinellosis, and Trichinella britovi is one of them. Numerous mammal species, as well as birds and crocodiles, can harbor the parasite worldwide, but the sylvatic cycle is mainly maintained by wild carnivores.

Aelurostrongylus abstrusus is a species of nematode from the family Angiostrongylidae.

<i>Alaria</i> (flatworm) Genus of flukes

Alaria is a genus of flatworms, or trematodes, in the family Diplostomidae.

<i>Bivitellobilharzia nairi</i> Species of fluke

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gastropod-borne parasitic disease</span> Medical condition

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nematode infection in dogs</span> Threadworm infections of dogs are frequent

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References

  1. Baillet, C. (1866). Histoire naturelle des helminthes des principaux mammifères domestiques. Paris: P. Asselin. pp. 69–70. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  2. 1 2 Morgan, E. R.; Shaw, S. E.; Brennan, S. F.; De Waal, T. D.; Jones, B. R.; Mulcahy, G. (2005). "Angiostrongylus vasorum: A real heartbreaker". Trends in Parasitology. 21 (2): 49–51. doi:10.1016/j.pt.2004.11.006. PMID   15664523.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Conboy G. A. (30 May 2000) "Canine Angiostrongylosis (French Heartworm)". In: Bowman D. D. (Ed.) Companion and Exotic Animal Parasitology. International Veterinary Information Service. Accessed 24 November 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Barçante, Thales Augusto; Barçante, Joziana Muniz de Paiva; Dias, Sílvia Regina Costa; Lima, Walter dos Santos (1 December 2003). "Angiostrongylus vasorum (Baillet, 1866) Kamensky, 1905: emergence of third-stage larvae from infected Biomphalaria glabrata snails". Parasitology Research. 91 (6): 471–475. doi:10.1007/s00436-003-1000-9. PMID   14557873. S2CID   22501974.
  5. Boray, JC (1973). "The role of the relative susceptibility of snails to infection with helminths and of the adaptation of the parasites in the epidemiology of some helminthic diseases". Malacologia. 14 (1–2): 125–7. PMID   4804841 . Retrieved 2018-03-17.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Jefferies, R.; Shaw, S. E.; Viney, M. E.; Morgan, E. R. (2009). "Angiostrongylus vasorum from South America and Europe represent distinct lineages". Parasitology. 136 (1): 107–115. doi:10.1017/s0031182008005258. PMID   19126274. S2CID   20985315.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Bourque, A.; Conboy, G.; Miller, L.; Whitney, H.; Ralhan, S. (2002). "Angiostrongylus vasorum infection in 2 dogs from Newfoundland". The Canadian Veterinary Journal. 43 (11): 876–879. PMC   339763 . PMID   12497965.
  8. Torres, J.; Miquel, J.; Motjé, M. (2001). "Helminth parasites of the eurasian badger (Meles meles L.) in Spain: A biogeographic approach". Parasitology Research. 87 (4): 259–263. doi:10.1007/s004360000316. PMID   11355672. S2CID   13714034..
  9. Pereira, C. A. J.; Martins-Souza, R. L.; Coelho, P. M. Z.; Lima, W. S.; Negrão-Corrêa, D. (2006). "Effect of Angiostrongylus vasorum infection on Biomphalaria tenagophila susceptibility to Schistosoma mansoni". Acta Tropica . 98 (3): 224–233. doi:10.1016/j.actatropica.2006.05.002. PMID   16750811.
  10. Ferdushy T. Kapel C. M. O., Webster P., Al-Sabi M. N. S. & Grønvold J. (December 2009, online 22 May 2009) "The occurrence of Angiostrongylus vasorum in terrestrial slugs from forests and parks in the Copenhagen area, Denmark". Journal of Helminthology83(4): 379-383. Ferdushy, T.; Kapel, C. M. O.; Webster, P.; Al-Sabi, M. N. S.; Grønvold, J. (2009). "The occurrence of Angiostrongylus vasorum in terrestrial slugs from forests and parks in the Copenhagen area, Denmark". Journal of Helminthology. 83 (4): 379–83. doi:10.1017/S0022149X09377706. PMID   19460193..
  11. [Noah Compendium 2015]

Further reading