Rare Case of Angiostrongylus Vasorum Intraocular Infestation in an Asymptomatic Dog.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Hurnikova Z
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6818636 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:In the past decade, the parasitic nematode Angiostrongylus vasorum has attracted attention for its emergence in previously free areas and for the rise in clinical cases in domestic dogs. Italy is regarded as one of the countries where this potentially life-threatening parasite is spreading, especially due to bridging infections between wildlife and domestic dogs. The present article describes the presence of A. vasorum in wolves from Italy. Nematodes were observed in histological sections of three wolves found dead in Rome province, central Italy. Morphological and molecular identification of the nematodes, by polymerase chain reaction of rDNA ITS-2 and sequencing, confirmed the nematodes to be A. vasorum, with 99% genetic homology with A. vasorum from sympatric dogs. This is the second report of this species in wolves and the first in this host in Italy, and coincides with increasing records of A. vasorum in dogs and foxes in Italy. Implications for the epidemiology of this emerging parasite and for wildlife health are concisely discussed.
| S-EPMC4047958 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:The adult worms of Angiostrongylus vasorum reside in the pulmonary artery of dogs and can lead to cardiac, respiratory, and central neurologic signs. Due to luminal obstruction and perivascular inflammation of the pulmonary artery branches, pulmonary hypertension can arise. Pulmonary hypertension, in turn, can lead to severe damage of the right-sided cardiac structures, leading to right ventricular remodeling and tricuspid valve regurgitation. CASE PRESENTATION:An 8-year-old neutered female English Cocker Spaniel was presented to the author's institution because of abdominal distention and exercise intolerance. Ascites caused by congestive right-sided heart failure was found to be responsible for these problems. The underlying etiology of the right-sided heart failure was a severe pulmonary hypertension caused by Angiostrongylus vasorum infection. Echocardiography revealed, in addition to a severe concentric and eccentric right ventricular hypertrophy, right atrial and pulmonary trunk dilation, severe tricuspid valve regurgitation, and a systolic flail of the anterior leaflet of the tricuspid valve, resulting from ruptured chordae tendineae. As a coincidental finding, a congenital mitral stenosis was found. Oral therapy was initiated with daily administration of fenbendazole for 2?weeks along with daily administration of oral sildenafil until the re-check examination. At the 6-week re-check the dog showed full clinical and partial echocardiographic recovery, and both the blood antigen test for Angiostrongylus vasorum and the fecal Baermann larva isolation test were negative. When the sildenafil therapy was ceased after tapering the daily dosage, the owner reported recurrence of abdominal distension. Re-starting the sildenafil therapy resulted in resolution of this problem. The dog was reported to be clinically healthy with daily sildenafil administration 7?months after the initial presentation. CONCLUSIONS:The present case report describes a dog where angiostrongylosis led to congestive right-sided heart failure resulting from severe pulmonary hypertension. The secondary right ventricular eccentric hypertrophy together with suspected papillary muscular ischemia were the suspected cause of the ruptured major tricuspid chordae tendineae, which led to a severe tricuspid valve regurgitation. Despite eradication of the worms, the severe pulmonary hypertension persisted. Treatment with daily oral sildenafil, a pulmonary arterial vasodilator, was enough to keep the dog free of clinically apparent ascites.
| S-EPMC7448988 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Blood contains hundreds of proteins, reflecting ongoing cellular processes and immune reactions. Angiostrongylus vasorum infection is associated with a perturbed blood protein profile in dogs. However, the literature currently available lacks the necessary depth of analysis in order to resolve the observed pathologies in A. vasorum infections, including bleeding disorders. Using sera from 8 experimentally-infected dogs (i) before infection with A. vasorum, (ii) 34 days post-infection (p.i.; immature infection), and (iii) 75 days p.i. (mature patent infection), serum proteins were measured using liquid chromatography, tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). For 2 dogs, serum was analyzed at days 104 and 230 p.i. additionally. A data-independent acquisition workflow was employed in order to generate quantitative data. Following computational analysis, we identified 139 up- and down-regulated proteins following infection (log2 ratio cutoff ≥ 1.0; q-value ≤ 0.05). Differences in serum profiles were most pronounced at day 75 p.i. compared to before infection. Among up-regulated proteins, chitinase 3, several saposin-like proteins, and heat shock proteins were found greatly increased (log2 fold-changes ≥ 5). Levels of pulmonary surfactant protein B were elevated on day 34 p.i. already, in the prepatent phase. Pathway enrichment revealed that complement (especially the lectin pathway) and coagulation cascades as significantly affected upon analysis of down-regulated proteins. Among them were mannan-binding lectin serine peptidases, ficolin, and coagulation factors. These results reflect the ongoing immune response and stress imposed to the lungs by the parasite. In addition, they bring new elements towards understanding the coagulopathies observed in some A. vasorum-infected dogs.
2021-01-12 | PXD016881 | Pride
Project description:BackgroundNematodes of the genus Angiostrongylus are important causes of potentially life-threatening diseases in several animal species and humans. Angiostrongylus vasorum affects the right ventricle of the heart and the pulmonary arteries in dogs, red foxes and other carnivores. The diagnosis of canine angiostrongylosis may be challenging due to the wide spectrum of clinical signs. Ocular manifestations have been seldom reported but have serious implications for patients.MethodsThe clinical history of three cases of infection with A. vasorum in dogs diagnosed in UK, France and Italy, was obtained from clinical records provided by the veterinary surgeons along with information on the diagnostic procedures and treatment. Nematodes collected from the eyes of infected dogs were morphologically identified to the species level and molecularly analysed by the amplification of the nuclear 18S rRNA gene.ResultsOn admission, the dogs were presented with various degrees of ocular discomfort and hyphema because of the presence of a motile object in the eye. The three patients had ocular surgery during which nematodes were removed and subsequently morphologically and molecularly identified as two adult males and one female of A. vasorum.ConclusionsThree new cases of canine ocular angiostrongylosis are reported along with a review of other published clinical cases to improve the diagnosis and provide clinical recommendation for this parasitic condition. In addition, the significance of migratory patterns of larvae inside the host body is discussed. Veterinary healthcare workers should include canine angiostrongylosis in the differential diagnosis of ocular diseases.
| S-EPMC4802644 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Blood contains hundreds of proteins, reflecting ongoing cellular processes and immune reactions. Infections with the blood-dwelling cardiopulmonary nematode Angiostrongylus vasorum in dogs manifest with a broad spectrum of clinical signs including respiratory distress, bleeding diathesis and neurological signs, and are associated with a perturbed blood protein profile in dogs. However, current knowledge does not completely explain the observed pathologies induced by A. vasorum infections, including bleeding disorders. Using sera from experimentally infected dogs, dog serum proteome was analysed by quantitative mass spectrometry methods over several time points before and after inoculation. Following computational analysis, we identified 139 up- and downregulated proteins after infection (log2 ratio cut-off ≥ 1.0; q-value ≤ 0.05). Among upregulated proteins were chitinase 3-like 1 and pulmonary surfactant-associated protein B (log2 fold-changes ≥ 5). Pathway enrichment revealed the complement (especially the lectin pathway) and coagulation cascades as significantly affected upon analysis of downregulated proteins. Among them were mannan-binding lectin serine peptidases, ficolin, and coagulation factor XIII-B. These results bring new elements towards understanding the underlying pathomechanisms of bleeding diatheses observed in some A. vasorum-infected dogs.
| S-EPMC7801463 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Angiostrongylus vasorum is an emerging parasitic nematode of dogs, red foxes, and other wild canids. The severity of infection in dogs ranges from subclinical to fatal cardiopulmonary and bleeding disorders collectively known as canine angiostrongylosis. A symbiotic relationship between microorganisms such as bacteria and their eukaryotic hosts is commonly observed in nature. The mutualistic role of bacteria has been documented in plant-parasitic nematodes, gastrointestinal nematodes, and filarial nematodes. The importance of the bacteria for the survival of these parasites has been demonstrated with antibiotic treatments. To characterize associated bacteria of adult A. vasorum parasites, 36 individual worm samples were used. The worms were extracted from foxes hunted either in the city or in the rural regions within the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland. DNA was isolated and the V3/V4 hypervariable region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was amplified. Sequenced Illumina MiSeq reads were analysed using QIIME2. The data were used to profile the abundance and diversity of microbial communities in worms originating from either rural or urban foxes.
| S-EPMC8645432 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAngiostrongylus vasorum is a nematode residing in the heart and pulmonary vessels of dogs and wild carnivores. In Europe the red fox is its reservoir, while only three records from wolves have been published. Angiostrongylus vasorum has a worldwide distribution, and many pieces of evidence demonstrate that it is spreading from endemic areas to new ones. In Italy, A. vasorum was reported with increasing frequency in dogs and foxes in the last decades, and now it is considered endemic throughout the country. Angiostrongylus vasorum can be asymptomatic or cause respiratory and circulatory disorders, at times causing severe disseminated infections.MethodsBetween February 2012 and December 2016, 25 wolves found dead in central Italy were submitted to the Istituto Zooprofilattico del Lazio e della Toscana for post-mortem examination. Samples of lungs, heart, liver, spleen, kidneys, mediastinic lymph nodes and brain were collected from each animal for histological examination. When adult and larval nematodes were microscopically seen in lungs, the other organs were processed, and five histological sections for each organ were examined. To confirm parasite identification, lung samples were submitted to a PCR-sequencing protocol targeting the ITS2 region of A. vasorum.ResultsSeven wolves (28.0%) harboured nematode larvae in lung sections. In two of the positive wolves, adult nematodes were visible in pulmonary arteries, in four animals larvae were also detected in other organs. DNA sequencing reactions confirmed parasite identification as A. vasorum in all the cases.ConclusionsAs a result of the high prevalence of A. vasorum reported in wolves in the present study, a focus of high circulation could be hypothesised in central Italy. Nevertheless, the similarly high prevalence in foxes originating from the same areas were reported in previous papers. Histopathological evidence highlights the pathogenic potential of A. vasorum in the wolf, especially in juvenile animals.
| S-EPMC5553711 | biostudies-literature
Project description: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.
| S-EPMC6514071 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Angiostrongylusvasorum is a helminth parasite of domestic dogs that is increasing in range and prevalence. Its lifecycle requires terrestrial gastropod mollusc ("gastropod") intermediate hosts, but research is lacking regarding contact risk in situ. We studied co-occurrence between dogs and gastropods in dog-walking spaces in an A. vasorum hotspot in southern England, United Kingdom, with the aim of quantifying environmental and spatio-temporal overlap. We surveyed 390 quadrats and 180 point-counts along 3 km transects at seven sites, yielding 1672 gastropod and 763 dog observations. Common gastropods comprised Arion, Cornu, Monacha, Deroceras, Tandonia, Cochlicella, and Trochulus species. Habitat was the most important factor structuring both gastropod and dog presence and abundance. Likelihood ratio comparisons from conditional probability trees revealed that dogs were 15× more likely to be present on hardstanding surfaces than other habitats but were also present on natural and amenity grassland. Presence of gastropod species associated with high A. vasorum prevalence was 65.12× more likely in woodland/scrub and 62.17× more likely in amenity grassland than other habitats. For gastropods overall, high abundance was 5.82× more likely in woodland/scrub and natural grassland. The findings suggest co-occurrence is highest in amenity and natural grassland, but infection risk is greatest in amenity grassland and woodland/scrub.
| S-EPMC8472295 | biostudies-literature