Lung worm infections in dogs in Bavaria and their signs

Abstract

Worldwide there is increasing awareness of canine lung worm infection in many geographic areas. Especially the metastrongyloid nematode Angiostrongylus (A.) vasorum is associated with a high morbidity and mortality rate in infected dogs. Other pulmonary parasites in dogs include the common fox parasite Crenosoma (C.) vulpis, and the pulmonary parasites Filaroides (Oslerus) osleri, Filaroides hirthi, and the capillarid lungworms Eucoleus aerophilus (Capillaria aerophila) and Eucoleus boehmi. Aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of A. vasorum and C. vulpis in dogs in Bavaria, Germany, and to evaluate clinical, laboratory, and radiographic changes of dogs with these pulmonary parasites. In total, three separate faecal samples from three consecutive days were collected from 276 dogs from Bavaria and analyzed by Baermann faecal technique. Included were 160 sick dogs that showed acute or chronic respiratory problems (n = 90), neurological signs (n = 47), or coagulopathies (n = 23), as well as 116 healthy controls. A. vasorum was detected in one patient with respiratory signs, and C. vulpis was found in another patient with respiratory problems. All dogs exhibiting neurological signs or coagulopathies and all healthy dogs tested negative. Thus, prevalence for both A. vasorum and C. vulpis infection was 0.36% in all dogs tested, 0.63% in all sick dogs, and 1.11% in all dogs with respiratory signs. The study shows that in contrast to the situation in other parts of Germany and in endemic areas in other European countries, the risk of infection with pulmonary parasites is low for dogs in Bavaria at the moment.