Angiostrongylus Vasorum in Romania: an Extensive Survey in Red Foxes, Vulpes Vulpes

Overview

Journal Parasit Vectors

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialties Parasitology
Tropical Medicine

Date 2017 Jul 14

PMID 28701176

Citations 13

Authors

Georgiana Deak

Calin M Gherman

Angela M Ionica

Alexandru D Vezendan

Gianluca DAmico

Ioana A Matei

Aikaterini A Daskalaki

Ionut Marian

Aurel Damian

Vasile Cozma

Andrei D Mihalca

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Angiostrongylus vasorum is the causative agent of canine angiostrongylosis, a severe snail-borne disease of dogs. Red foxes are important natural reservoirs of infection, and surveys of foxes provide a more objective picture of the parasite distribution. Our aim was to investigate the possibility of the presence of A. vasorum in red foxes from the western part of Romania and to analyse the risk factors related to the sex, age and geographic origin of the foxes. Between July 2016 and April 2017, 567 hunted red foxes from 10 counties of western Romania were examined by necropsy for the presence of lungworms.

Results: Overall, the infection with A. vasorum has been found in 24 red foxes (4.2%) originating in four counties (Mureș, Hunedoara, Sălaj and Cluj). There was no significant difference between the prevalence in males and females, between juveniles and adults and between counties.

Conclusions: This is the first report of autochthonous infections of A. vasorum in Romania, showing a relatively low prevalence and extending eastwards the known distributional range of this parasite in Europe. The presence of autochthonous cases in domestic dogs in Romania remains to be confirmed by further studies.

Citing Articles

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Is the infection in domestic dogs underestimated or misdiagnosed? A comprehensive presentation of four lethal cases.

Taulescu M, Negoescu A, Ungur A, Toma C, Ionica A, Gal C Front Vet Sci. 2023; 10:1146713.

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