Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Why Angiostrongylus vasorum infection in dogs is hard to diagnose
By Di Cesare, Angela et al.·Published in Parasites & vectors·2015·Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Elusive Angiostrongylus vasorum infections.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A dog with breathing problems was brought to the vet and diagnosed with a lungworm infection caused by a parasite called Angiostrongylus vasorum. This infection can be tricky to identify because its symptoms can look like other diseases. In this case, the dog was treated with an anthelmintic medication (mostly moxidectin), which worked well for dogs that didn't have severe lung bleeding. Unfortunately, one dog in the study died shortly after arriving at the emergency clinic, but others improved with treatment. This highlights the importance of considering lungworm infections even in areas where they are not commonly found.
People also search for: dog breathing problems lungworm treatment · Angiostrongylus vasorum symptoms · dog coughing and bleeding · moxidectin for dog lungworm
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The parasitic nematode Angiostrongylus vasorum causes severe clinical signs in dogs. The disease is often challenging because infected animals are often presented with clinical signs overlapping those of other diseases. METHODS: The present article describes six angiostrongylosis cases (Cases 1-6) that represent key examples of how canine angiostrongylosis may be extremely confounding. The six animals presented clinical signs compatible with canine angiostrongylosis but they were subjected to clinical examinations for other diseases (e.g. dirofilariosis or immune-mediated disorders) before achieving a correct diagnosis. RESULTS: In Case 1 clinical, radiographic and ultrasound examinations' results resembled a lung neoplasia. Case 2 was a dog with a mixed infection caused by A. vasorum and Dirofilaria immitis. Case 3 was a critically ill dog presented in emergency for an acute onset of dyspnoea caused by lungworm infection. The dog died a few hours after presentation despite support and etiologic therapy. Case 4 was a dog presented for chronic hemorrhages and ecchymoses caused by thrombocytopenia of unknown origin, thought to have an inherited, immune-mediated or infective cause. Case 5 was referred for neurological signs due to a suspected discospondylitis. Case 6 was erroneously diagnosed infected only with D. immitis although the dog was infected only with A. vasorum. A timely administration of an anthelmintic (mostly moxidectin) showed to be effective in treating the infection in those dogs (i.e. Cases 1,2, 4 and 5) that did not suffer with severe lung haemorrhages yet. CONCLUSIONS: Dogs 1-5 were referred in two regions of Italy that are considered non-endemic for A. vasorum. These findings indicate that veterinarians should include angiostrongylosis in the differential diagnosis of cardio-respiratory distress also in non-endemic regions and should perform appropriate diagnostics in the presence of compatible signs even if the clinical picture is atypical.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26306788/