title: Use of a commercial serologic test for Angiostrongylus vasorum for the detection of A. chabaudi in wildcats and A. daskalovi in badgers.
abstract: Three species of the genus Angiostrongylus are known to infect European carnivores: A. vasorum (mainly in canids but also in other carnivores), A. chabaudi (in felids) and A. daskalovi (in mustelids). A. vasorum is responsible for clinically severe disease in domestic dogs, most commonly diagnosed based on fecal examination and serological detection of circulating antigens. Considering the poorly known host range and the challenging larval differentiation in the feces between the three species of Angiostrongylus infecting European carnivores, our aim was to evaluate the cross-reactivity of A. chabaudi and A. daskalovi with A. vasorum using a commercial serologic test developed for domestic dogs. Badgers (Meles meles) (n=10) and wildcats (Felis silvestris) (n=8) were examined between 2015 and 2016 by full parasitological necropsy with subsequent morphological and molecular identification of nematodes and by serology, using IDEXX Angio Detect™ tests. Five out of the ten badgers and two out of the eight wildcats were harboring nematodes in the pulmonary arteries. All nematodes were identified morphologically as A. daskalovi in badgers and A. chabaudi in wildcats, respectively. Serological examination of the plasma samples revealed the positivity of the same animals as found in necropsy. None of the animals negative at necropsy was positive at serology. The 100% correlation between the necropsy results and the serologic positivity to IDEXX Angio Detect™ in badgers infected with A. daskalovi and wildcats infected with A. chabaudi suggest that these rapid tests are able to identify circulating antigens of all species of Angiostrongylus found in European carnivores: A. vasorum, A. daskalovi and A. chabaudi. The possibility for future in-clinic use of this test in domestic cats should be further investigated.
authors.affiliation: University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, Cluj-Napoca 400372, Romania.
authors.forename: Georgiana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Deak
authors.affiliation: University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, Cluj-Napoca 400372, Romania. Electronic address: calin.gherman@usamvcluj.ro.
authors.forename: Călin Mircea
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Gherman
authors.affiliation: University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, Cluj-Napoca 400372, Romania.
authors.forename: Angela Monica
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ionică
authors.affiliation: University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, Cluj-Napoca 400372, Romania.
authors.forename: Aikaterini Alexandra
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Daskalaki
authors.affiliation: University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, Cluj-Napoca 400372, Romania.
authors.forename: Ioana Adriana
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Matei
authors.affiliation: University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, Cluj-Napoca 400372, Romania.
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: D'Amico
authors.affiliation: University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, Cluj-Napoca 400372, Romania.
authors.forename: Cristian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Domşa
authors.affiliation: IDEXX Laboratories, Moerikestr. 28/3, D-71636 Ludwigsburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Nikola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pantchev
authors.affiliation: University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, Cluj-Napoca 400372, Romania.
authors.forename: Andrei Daniel
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Mihalca
authors.affiliation: University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, Cluj-Napoca 400372, Romania.
authors.forename: Vasile
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cozma
mesh_terms: D000801:Angiostrongylus / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000097:blood; D003429:Cross Reactions; D045991:Felis / Q000469:parasitology*; D045969:Mustelidae / Q000469:parasitology*; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000469:parasitology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012698:Serologic Tests / Q000592:standards*; D017206:Strongylida Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth
keywords: Angio detect™; Angiostrongylus chabaudi; Angiostrongylus daskalovi; Angiostrongylus vasorum; Cross-reactivity