Abstract
Cardiopulmonary nematodes of dogs and cats cause parasitic diseases of central relevance in current veterinary practice. In the recent past the distribution of canine and feline heartworms and lungworms has increased in various geographical areas, including Europe. This is true especially for the metastrongyloids Aelurostrongylus abstrusus, Angiostrongylus vasorum and Crenosoma vulpis, the filarioid Dirofilaria immitis and the trichuroid Eucoleus aerophilus (syn. Capillaria aerophila). The reasons of this emergence are little known but many drivers such as global warming, changes in vector epidemiology and movements in animal populations, may be taken into account. The purpose of this article is to review the knowledge of the most important heartworm and lungworm infections of dogs and cats in Europe. In particular recent advances in epidemiology, clinical and control are described and discussed.
Highlights
Nematodes affecting the cardiopulmonary system of dogs and cats have recently become the focus of increased attention from the scientific community due to their emergence in several European countries and the spread into previously non-endemic regions
The importance of infection with the heartworm (A. vasorum and D. immitis) and lungworm (A. abstrusus, C. vulpis and E. aerophilus) parasites in companion animals is heightened by the pathogenic potential of these nematodes, the challenges involved in diagnosis and their zoonotic potential
In the coming years veterinarians will be faced more and more with problems and challenges related to the emergence of cardiopulmonary nematodes in companion animals
Summary
Nematodes affecting the cardiopulmonary system of dogs and cats have recently become the focus of increased attention from the scientific community due to their emergence in several European countries and the spread into previously non-endemic regions. Clinical signs such as fatigue, cough, sneezing, wheezing, mucopurulent nasal discharge, dyspnoea, open-mouthed abdominal breathing and bronchopneumonia, oblige veterinarians to include a multiplicity of diseases and distresses in the differential diagnosis, e.g. viral, bacterial and fungal diseases, non-infective inflammatory (e.g. nasopharyngeal polyps and allergic bronchitis) disorders, foreign bodies and respiratory neoplasms [21,33,34,123] These infections often present nonspecific abnormal radiographic and haematological findings, proper diagnostic methods are critical to achieve a timely and reliable diagnosis for cardiopulmonary nematodes affecting cats and dogs [9,21,33,34,123,124,125]. Given the impact heartworms and lungworms may have on animal health, the zoonotic potential of some of them and the trend in geographic spread, it is crucial that veterinary practitioners are aware of their importance and of appropriate diagnostic techniques and control plans
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