The occurrence of Angiostrongylus vasorum in terrestrial slugs from forests and parks in the Copenhagen area, Denmark.
A total of 298 slugs belonging to four species, Arion lusitanicus, A. ater, A. ater rufus and Limax maximus, were collected from six different localities within a radius of 30 km from Copenhagen and examined for naturally acquired Angiostrongylus vasorum infection. Overall, 28 slugs (9%) were infected, but the prevalence varied among the studied localities: Rude Forest (26%), West Amager Forest (18%), Jaegersborg Forest and Deer Park (8%), Frederiksberg Park (4%), Assistens Cemetery Park (0%) and Frederiksberg Botanical Garden (0%). Only third-stage larvae (L3) were recovered from the slugs, in numbers ranging from 1 to 392 per slug. Overall 82% of the infected slugs harboured fewer than 10 larvae and only 14% harboured over 100 larvae.
Ferdushy
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Department of Agricultural Ecology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. tania_ferdushy@yahoo.com
Kapel
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Webster
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Al-Sabi
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Grønvold
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D000801:Angiostrongylus / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000818:Animals; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology*; D005589:Foxes / Q000469:parasitology*; D049851:Gastropoda / Q000469:parasitology*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D007814:Larva / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D013045:Species Specificity; D017206:Strongylida Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D014197:Trees