Angiostrongylus chabaudi (Biocca, 1957) in wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris, S) from Romania.
Angiostrongylus chabaudi is a rare cardio-pulmonary nematode infecting felids. Although almost 60 years have passed since the original description of the species in Italy, this parasite has been seldom found in domestic and wildcats in southern Europe. The present study aims to report a new case of patent A. chabaudi infection in a road-killed wildcat from Maramureș County in Northern Romania. The necropsy revealed the presence of parasites in the pulmonary arteries and the right ventricle, and the fecal examination showed the presence of L1 larvae. Parasites were morphologically and morphometrically characterized as A. chabaudi, showing 100 % nucleotide similarity to an Angiostrongylus sp. originating from a wildcat from Germany and 99 % to A. chabaudi from Italy. This study reports A. chabaudi for the first time in Eastern Europe, expanding knowledge about the distribution range of this species.
Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăştur 3-5, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Călin Mircea
CM
Gherman
Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăştur 3-5, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. ionica.angela@usamvcluj.ro.
Angela Monica
AM
Ionică
Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăştur 3-5, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Gianluca
G
D'Amico
Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica e Zootecnia, Università degli Studi di Bari, Str. prov. per Casamassima km 3, 70010, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
Domenico
D
Otranto
Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăştur 3-5, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Andrei Daniel
AD
Mihalca
D000801:Angiostrongylus / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D045991:Felis / Q000469:parasitology*; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000469:parasitology; D008168:Lung / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000469:parasitology*; D012383:Romania; D017206:Strongylida Infections / Q000662:veterinary*
Angiostrongylus chabaudi; Romania; Wildcat