Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Clinical signs and lab results in dogs infected with Angiostrongylus
By Schnyder, Manuela et al.·Published in Parasitology research·2010·Institute of Parasitology·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Clinical, laboratory and pathological findings in dogs experimentally infected with Angiostrongylus vasorum.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of six Beagle dogs were intentionally infected with a type of lungworm called Angiostrongylus vasorum to study the effects of the infection. The dogs showed respiratory problems, especially those infected with a higher number of larvae, and treatment with a combination medication helped resolve their symptoms within 12 days. After treatment, the dogs stopped passing larvae within 20 days, but some adult worms were still found in two treated dogs. Despite the severe lung damage caused by the infection, the dogs only showed mild changes in their blood tests.
People also search for: dog lungworm symptoms · Beagle respiratory problems · Angiostrongylus vasorum treatment · dog coughing after infection · lungworm in dogs treatment
Abstract
The aim of this comparative study was to investigate the development of clinical signs and accompanying haematological, coproscopic and pathological findings as a basis for the monitoring of health condition of Angiostrongylus vasorum infected dogs. Six beagles were orally inoculated with 50 (n=3) or 500 (n=3) A. vasorum third stage larvae (L3) obtained from experimentally infected Biomphalaria glabrata snails. Two dogs were treated with moxidectin/imidacloprid spot-on solution and two further dogs with an oral experimental compound 92 days post infection (dpi), and were necropsied 166 dpi. Two untreated control dogs were necropsied 97 dpi. Prepatency was 47-49 days. Dogs inoculated with 500 L3 exhibited earlier (from 42 dpi) and more severe respiratory signs. Clinical signs resolved 12 days after treatment and larval excretion stopped within 20 days in all four treated dogs. Upon necropsy, 10 and 170 adult worms were recovered from the untreated dogs inoculated with 50 and 500 L3, respectively. Adult worms were also found in two treated dogs, in the absence of L1 or eggs. Despite heavy A. vasorum infection load and severe pulmonary changes including vascular thrombosis, only mild haematological changes were observed. Eosinophilia was absent but the presence of plasma cells was observed. Neutrophilic leucocytes showed a transient increase but only after treatment. Signs for coagulopathies were slight; nevertheless coagulation parameters were inoculation dose dependent. Ten weeks after treatment pulmonary fibrosis was still present. Infections starting from 50 L3 of A. vasorum had a massive impact on lung tissues and therefore on the health of affected dogs, particularly after prepatency, although only mild haematological abnormalities were evident.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20700604/