title: Detection of Angiostrongylus cantonensis in the Blood and Peripheral Tissues of Wild Hawaiian Rats (Rattus rattus) by a Quantitative PCR (qPCR) Assay.
abstract: The nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a rat lungworm, a zoonotic pathogen that causes human eosinophilic meningitis and ocular angiostrongyliasis characteristic of rat lungworm (RLW) disease. Definitive diagnosis is made by finding and identifying A. cantonensis larvae in the cerebral spinal fluid or by using a custom immunological or molecular test. This study was conducted to determine if genomic DNA from A. cantonensis is detectable by qPCR in the blood or tissues of experimentally infected rats. F1 offspring from wild rats were subjected to experimental infection with RLW larvae isolated from slugs, then blood or tissue samples were collected over multiple time points. Blood samples were collected from 21 rats throughout the course of two trials (15 rats in Trial I, and 6 rats in Trial II). In addition to a control group, each trial had two treatment groups: the rats in the low dose (LD) group were infected by approximately 10 larvae and the rats in the high dose (HD) group were infected with approximately 50 larvae. In Trial I, parasite DNA was detected in cardiac bleed samples from five of five LD rats and five of five HD rats at six weeks post-infection (PI), and three of five LD rats and five of five HD rats from tail tissue. In Trial II, parasite DNA was detected in peripheral blood samples from one of two HD rats at 53 minutes PI, one of two LD rats at 1.5 hours PI, one of two HD rats at 18 hours PI, one of two LD rats at five weeks PI and two of two at six weeks PI, and two of two HD rats at weeks five and six PI. These data demonstrate that parasite DNA can be detected in peripheral blood at various time points throughout RLW infection in rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America.
authors.forename: Susan I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Jarvi
authors.affiliation: USDA APHIS Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Hawaii Field Station, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America; Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, Virginia, 22630, United States of America.
authors.forename: William C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Pitt
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America.
authors.forename: Margaret E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Farias
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America; USDA APHIS Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Hawaii Field Station, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shiels
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America.
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Severino
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America.
authors.forename: Kathleen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Howe
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America.
authors.forename: Steven H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Jacquier
authors.affiliation: USDA APHIS Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Hawaii Field Station, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America.
authors.forename: Aaron B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Shiels
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America.
authors.forename: Karis K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Amano
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America.
authors.forename: Blaine C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Luiz
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America.
authors.forename: Daisy E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Maher
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America.
authors.forename: Maureen L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Allison
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America.
authors.forename: Zachariah C
authors.initials: ZC
authors.lastname: Holtquist
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America.
authors.forename: Neil T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Scheibelhut
mesh_terms: D017185:Angiostrongylus cantonensis / Q000235:genetics*; D000820:Animal Diseases / Q000469:parasitology*; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000469:parasitology; D008168:Lung / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D018512:Parasitemia; D051381:Rats; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013154:Spleen / Q000469:parasitology; D017206:Strongylida Infections / Q000662:veterinary*