title: Troglostrongylus brevior in an Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In the past few years the interest of the scientific community on lungworms of the genus Troglostrongylus has grown due to the increased number of unexpected cases of infections with Troglostrongylus brevior in domestic cats from Mediterranean Europe, likely due to a spill-over from wild reservoirs. Thus, there is a merit to increase our knowledge on the occurrence of this parasite in felids from European regions. The present paper describes lung lesions associated with T. brevior infection in the endangered Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The carcass of an illegally killed 3-year-old male Eurasian lynx was presented for necropsy at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina). Grossly, multiple, multinodular, consolidated and firm, tan to grey areas, occupying the caudal third of caudal lung lobes, were observed. At cut section, the catarrhal fluid was draining from the airways. Larvae of T. brevior were found in tracheal scraping. The histopathological examination revealed multifocal to coalescing areas, centered on bronchi and bronchioles, and expanded alveoli filled with necrotic debris, degenerated inflammatory cells, mostly neutrophils and macrophages, and multiple cross sections of parasite larvae and thin-walled morulated eggs of lungworms. The paraffin-embedded lung samples were molecularly positive for T. brevior.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This paper describes the first record of T. brevior in the Eurasian lynx and the associated host lung pathology. Given its pathogenic potential and the lack of data on troglostrongylosis in lynx populations, the occurrence and impact of Troglostrongylus spp. on wildlife health as well as the role of L. lynx as reservoir of infection for other felids, should be further investigated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. amer.alic@vfs.unsa.ba.
authors.forename: Amer
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alić
authors.affiliation: Teaching Veterinary Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy. dtraversa@unite.it.
authors.forename: Donato
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Traversa
authors.affiliation: Institute of Parasitology, Department of Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria. georg.duscher@vetmeduni.ac.at.
authors.forename: Georg Gerhard
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Duscher
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. mirsad.kadric@vfs.unsa.ba.
authors.forename: Mirsad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kadrić
authors.affiliation: Teaching Veterinary Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy. angdicesare@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Cesare
authors.affiliation: Institute of Parasitology, Department of Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria. adnan.hodzic@vetmeduni.ac.at.
authors.forename: Adnan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hodžić
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017522:Bosnia and Herzegovina; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D008168:Lung / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D046008:Lynx / Q000469:parasitology*; D008681:Metastrongyloidea / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008853:Microscopy; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017206:Strongylida Infections / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*