Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with severe breathing trouble from lungworm infection in Lithuania
By Greta Martinavičienė et al.·Published in Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports·2025·View original on Semantic Scholar →
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Original publication title: Severe respiratory distress in a stray cat caused by the lungworm Aelurostrongylus abstrusus: A first case report in Lithuania.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 4-month-old male stray cat was brought in for severe breathing problems, including coughing and difficulty breathing. Initially treated with antibiotics and diuretics for suspected bacterial infection, the cat showed no improvement after 40 days. Further tests revealed a lungworm infection caused by Aelurostrongylus abstrusus. The cat was treated with a medication called moxidectin, but since the cough and lungworm larvae persisted, a second treatment with a different medication was given. After this, the cat's cough disappeared and no lungworm larvae were found in its feces after 7 weeks.
People also search for: cat coughing treatment · lungworm in cats · Aelurostrongylus abstrusus symptoms · cat respiratory distress care
Abstract
Aelurostrongylus abstrusus is the most common feline lungworm worldwide. A 4 months old male cat with a history of coughing and dyspnoea was presented to a small animal clinic in Lithuania. Upon clinical examination tachypnoea (64 bpm), cough, stridor, wheezing sound, end-inspiratory crackles, dyspnoea and pulmonary oedema were recorded. Due to suspected bacterial infection and pulmonary oedema, the cat was treated with antibiotics and diuretics for 40 days, without improvement. On week 7 following the first visit, haematology revealed leucocytosis, lymphocytosis, monocytosis and eosinophilia. Thoracic radiographs showed multiple pulmonary alternations. Microscopic examination of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and faeces (Baermann migration test) confirmed an infection with A. abstrusus by detection of first stage larvae. The cat was treated with spot-on moxidectin/imidacloprid (Advocate® for cats, Elanco Animal Health GmbH) according to manufacturer's instructions. The L1 of A. abstrusus were still present in the faeces 3 weeks, and cough persisted 4 weeks following the first treatment with moxidectin; anthelmintic treatment was therefore continued with a fipronil/praziquantel/eprinomectin spot-on solution (Broadline®; Boehringer Ingelheim/Merial) according to manufacturer's instructions. No L1 of A. abstrusus were present in the faeces 7 weeks and cough disappeared 11 weeks following the first treatment with moxidectin.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/40121036