title: Occurrence of Aelurostrongylus abstrusus and Troglostrongylus brevior in domestic cats in Greece.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite the evidence that Mediterranean Europe offers suitable conditions for the biology of felid respiratory metastrongyloids, no updated data on the presence of felid lungworms are available for Greece. Although the cat lungworm Aelurostrongylus abstrusus is considered as enzootic in domestic cats (Felis silvestris catus) living in some areas of continental Greece, conversely, Troglostrongylus brevior, has only been reported in the island of Crete. The present study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of Aelurostrongylus abstrusus and Troglostrongylus brevior in domestic cats from four different Greek locations including islands where European wildcats (Felis silvestris silvestris), believed to be the natural reservoir of T. brevior, are considered absent.
  
  
  METHODS
  Faeces were collected from 125 stray cats in the city of Athens, and in Crete, Mykonos and Skopelos Islands, and examined by copromicroscopic techniques for the presence of lungworm larvae. When present, larvae were morphologically and molecularly identified.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The occurrence of A. abstrusus and T. brevior was confirmed in 10 (8 %) and 7 (5.6 %) of the samples, respectively. In particular, T. brevior was detected in domestic cats in the city of Athens, and in Mykonos and Skopelos Islands, where wildcats are not present.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This information illustrates that T. brevior may infect domestic cats regardless of the presence of the natural host. Considering the relevant clinical impact of this nematode especially in young animals, it is advisable to include troglostrongylosis in the differential diagnosis of cat respiratory diseases also where this parasite is unexpected.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece. diakou@vet.auth.gr.
authors.forename: Anastasia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Diakou
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Teaching Veterinary Hospital, Località Piano d'Accio snc, 64100, Teramo, Italy. angdicesare@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Cesare
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Teaching Veterinary Hospital, Località Piano d'Accio snc, 64100, Teramo, Italy. lucianobarrosrj@gmail.com.|Faculdade de Medicina Veterinaria MSV/UFF, Rua Vital Brasil Filho, 64 Icaraí, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, 24230-340, Brazil. lucianobarrosrj@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Luciano A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Barros
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Teaching Veterinary Hospital, Località Piano d'Accio snc, 64100, Teramo, Italy. morellisi@tiscali.it.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morelli
authors.affiliation: Merial S.A.S, 29 Av Tony Garnier, 69007, Lyon, France. lenaig.HALOS@merial.com.
authors.forename: Lenaig
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Halos
authors.affiliation: Merial S.A.S, 29 Av Tony Garnier, 69007, Lyon, France. frederic.BEUGNET@merial.com.
authors.forename: Frederic
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Beugnet
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Teaching Veterinary Hospital, Località Piano d'Accio snc, 64100, Teramo, Italy. dtraversa@unite.it.
authors.forename: Donato
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Traversa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D002415:Cats; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D008681:Metastrongyloidea / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008853:Microscopy; D015995:Prevalence; D017206:Strongylida Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*