title: Angiostrongylus chabaudi Biocca, 1957: a new parasite for domestic cats?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Natural infection with a species of Angiostrongylus has been reported only once in wildcats from central Italy by Biocca in 1957. The causative species of this infection was identified as Angiostrongylus chabaudi. Following this report, this parasite had never been found in either wild or domestic cats.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The lungs and the pulmonary arteries of an adult female cat (Felis silvestris catus), road-killed in Sardinia, Italy, were macroscopically examined and dissected under a light microscope for the presence of parasites. A slender nematode was detected and its morphometrical features were consistent with those of A. chabaudi. Morphological data were supplemented by sequencing of the partial cytochrome oxidase c subunit 1 (cox1) gene, as well as the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) of the rDNA. Nucleotide sequences displayed 99% homology with the ITS2 sequence [GenBank KM216825.1] of a specimen of Angiostrongylus sp. recovered recently from the pulmonary artery of a wildcat in Germany and 91% with cox1 sequence [GenBank GU138118.1] of Angiostrongylus vasorum.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of the present study indicate, for the first time, that A. chabaudi may also infect domestic cats, and thus should be considered in the diagnosis of metastrongyloid species infecting their cardio-pulmonary system.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Parassitologia, Ospedale Didattico Veterinario, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, 07100, Sassari, Italy. varcasia@uniss.it.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Varcasia
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Parassitologia, Ospedale Didattico Veterinario, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, 07100, Sassari, Italy. cltamponi@uniss.it.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tamponi
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Università degli Studi di Messina, 98168, Messina, Italy. ebrianti@unime.it.
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Brianti
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sardegna, 08048, Tortolì, Italy. parassit@uniss.it.
authors.forename: Piera Angela
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Cabras
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sardegna, 08048, Tortolì, Italy. parassit@uniss.it.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Boi
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Parassitologia, Ospedale Didattico Veterinario, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, 07100, Sassari, Italy. paolapipia@tiscali.it.
authors.forename: Anna Paola
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Pipia
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, 70010, Valenzano, Bari, Italy. giannelli.alessio@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Alessio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giannelli
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, 70010, Valenzano, Bari, Italy. domenicotranto@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Otranto
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Parassitologia, Ospedale Didattico Veterinario, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, 07100, Sassari, Italy. scala@uniss.it.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scala
mesh_terms: D000801:Angiostrongylus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic / Q000469:parasitology; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D002415:Cats; D005260:Female; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D017206:Strongylida Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*