Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Angiostrongylus vasorum parasite found in 0.66% of Portuguese shelter
By Alho, Ana Margarida et al.·Published in Parasitology research·2016·Faculty of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Seroprevalence of circulating Angiostrongylus vasorum antigen and parasite-specific antibodies in dogs from Portugal.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 906 shelter dogs in Portugal were tested for a parasite called Angiostrongylus vasorum, which can cause serious breathing problems and other health issues. Out of these dogs, six were found to have an active infection, while twelve had antibodies indicating they had been exposed to the parasite. This study confirms that A. vasorum is present in various regions of Portugal, which is important for dog owners to know. If your dog shows signs of respiratory distress or other unusual symptoms, it's a good idea to discuss this parasite with your veterinarian.
People also search for: dog breathing problems Portugal · Angiostrongylus vasorum symptoms · dog respiratory disease treatment
Abstract
Angiostrongylus vasorum is a nematode that lives in the pulmonary arteries and right cardiac ventricle of domestic dogs and wild canids. It is increasingly being reported in several European countries and North America. This parasite induces inflammatory verminous pneumonia, causing severe respiratory disease in dogs. In some instances, coagulopathies, neurological signs and even death may occur. Scant data are available regarding the occurrence of A. vasorum in Portugal. Therefore, sera of 906 shelter dogs from North to South mainland Portugal were collected. ELISAs to detect A. vasorum circulating antigen and specific antibodies against this parasite were performed. A total of six dogs [0.66 %, 95 % confidence intervals (CI) 0.24-1.43] were positive for both A. vasorum antigen and antibody detection, indicating an active infection, and 12 dogs (1.32 %, CI 0.68-2.30) were A. vasorum antibody-positive only. Regions with antigen- and antibody-positive animals overlapped and were distributed over nearly all sampled areas in the country. This is the first large-scale ELISA-based serological survey for A. vasorum in dogs from Portugal. The endemic occurrence of A. vasorum in dogs from different geographical areas of Portugal is therefore confirmed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27000086/