Seroprevalence of circulating Angiostrongylus vasorum antigen and parasite-specific antibodies in dogs from Portugal

Ana Margarida Alho,Roland Schaper,Silvana Belo,Manuela Schnyder,José Meireles,Peter Deplazes,Luís Madeira De Carvalho

doi:10.1007/s00436-016-5001-x

Ana Margarida Alho, Roland Schaper + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-016-5001-x

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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.

Highlights

Angiostrongylus vasorum, known as the French heartworm, is described to have apparently spread in the last decade into previously uninfected areas (Helm et al 2010)
It is a potentially lethal parasite that resides in the heart and pulmonary arteries of dogs and wild carnivores, with gastropods acting as obligate intermediate hosts (Guilhon and Cens 1973)
Sera were tested at the Institute of Parasitology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Switzerland, for the presence of circulating A. vasorum antigens using monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies in a sandwich ELISA, with a sensitivity of 95.7 % and a specificity of 94.0 %, as previously described (Schnyder et al 2011b)

Summary

Introduction

Angiostrongylus vasorum, known as the French heartworm, is described to have apparently spread in the last decade into previously uninfected areas (Helm et al 2010). It is a potentially lethal parasite that resides in the heart and pulmonary arteries of dogs and wild carnivores, with gastropods acting as obligate intermediate hosts (Guilhon and Cens 1973). This nematode may cause a wide spectrum of manifestations in dogs, ranging from mild (or even absent) to severe forms that can be fatal. Non-specific signs such as depression, weight loss, anorexia and exercise intolerance may be present (Chapman et al 2004; Wessmann et al 2006; Koch and Willesen 2009) Such a wide variety of clinical signs makes it challenging to confirm or exclude a diagnosis of canine angiostrongylosis based exclusively on a clinical assessment. The present serological study aimed to increase the knowledge about the occurrence and geographical dispersion of A. vasorum infections in Portugal

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Discussion

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