Abstract
Surrey, a county in southern England, is a hot spot for angiostrongylosis in domestic dogs but there have been no investigations into the intermediate hosts of Angiostrongylus vasorum in this area. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of A. vasorum in gastropods in Guildford, the most populous town in Surrey, and to ascertain which gastropod species can act as intermediate hosts for A. vasorum. Gastropods (n = 97) were sampled in six locations, representing urban, suburban and rural environments, and identified to species based on morphological features. A PCR assay was used to detect A. vasorum DNA in gastropod tissue and the species of infected specimens was confirmed by sequencing of mitochondrial genes. 4.1% (4/97) of sampled gastropods and 9.1% (4/44) of sampled slugs were A. vasorum positive. Infected gastropod species were Arion rufus (n = 3) and Deroceras invadens (n = 1), the first description of the latter species as a potential intermediate host for A. vasorum. Two infected slugs were sampled in urban environments and two in suburban environments. The results demonstrate that there is a risk of transmission of A. vasorum to domestic dogs from the gastropod population in urban and suburban areas of Guildford.
Highlights
The lungworm Angiostrongylus vasorum causes the serious and potentially fatal disease angiostrongylosis in domestic dogs (Elsheikha et al 2014)
This study aimed to determine the prevalence of A. vasorum in gastropods in the area of Guildford, the most populous town in Surrey, and to ascertain which gastropod species can act as intermediate hosts for A. vasorum
Some A. vasorum-negative gastropod species sampled in Guildford have been implicated as intermediate hosts for A. vasorum, suggesting that they could play a role in local transmission (Ferdushy and Hasan 2010; Helm et al 2015)
Summary
The lungworm Angiostrongylus vasorum causes the serious and potentially fatal disease angiostrongylosis in domestic dogs (Elsheikha et al 2014). It can infect wild carnivores, such as red foxes, which are important reservoir hosts. In the UK, there are established hyperendemic foci of the parasite in Wales and southeast England and newer endemic foci in the north of England and Scotland (Helm et al 2009; Kirk et al 2014). Angiostrongylus vasorum has an indirect lifecycle with larval development taking place within a gastropod intermediate host. A number of gastropod species have been implicated as intermediate hosts for A. vasorum in Handling Editor: Julia Walochnik
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