Autochthonous <i>Angiostrongylus cantonensis</i> Lungworms in Urban Rats, Valencia, Spain, 2021

Galán‐Puchades, María Teresa; Samblas, Mercedes Gómez; Osuna, Antonio; Sáez-Durán, Sandra; Bueno-Marí, Rubén; Fuentes, Màrius V.

doi:10.3201/eid2812.220418

Cited by 16 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Angiostrongyliasis is a foodborne disease in which human infection requires the ingestion of raw or poorly cooked intermediate or paratenic hosts. It could also be transmitted through contaminated lettuce with infective larvae released by an intermediate host 11 . The larvae hence penetrate the intestinal wall and travel through the bloodstream to the brain, where they can cause acute eosinophilic meningitis ( neuro-angiostrongyliasis ).…”

Section: Main Textmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Rat lungworm disease is often seen in the central nervous system after ingested larval stages of rat lungworm migrate to the brain and spinal cord, molt to sub-adult stages, and supposedly die after being unable to re-enter the circulatory system [9][10][11] . Once the worm is ingested by the accidental host, the third-stage larvae die when they reach the brain or spinal cord, which can lead to eosinophilic meningitis [7] , manifesting as severe headache, stiffness of the neck and back, skin tingling, pain and sensitivity, sensitivity to light, hallucinations, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes coma and death [1] .…”

Section: Clinical Featuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The scourge of Rat lungworm disease in Continental Europe, an emerging parasite

Oduoye,

Nazir,

Nazir

et al. 2023

International Journal of Surgery: Global Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In Europe, rat lungworm diseases have so far been reported exclusively at the insular level, specifically in Rattus norvegicus and R. rattus rats in Tenerife (the Canary Islands) and Atelerix algirus hedgehogs in Mallorca (the Balearic Islands). Researchers in Spain detected the parasite, the rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis), in two different species of rats near the port of Valencia and also several kilometres from the coast. This suggests a wide distribution of rat lungworms in the city of Valencia and other European cities. Infected rats (and snails) travel by ship, which could transfer the parasite between continents and countries. Major features of rat lungworm disease are the central nervous system manifestations and complications, which include severe headache, stiffness of the neck and back, skin tingling, pain and sensitivity, sensitivity to light, hallucinations, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes coma and death that could arise from the disease. Preventive measures like health education about the signs and symptoms of the disease, a high index of suspicion by the clinicians, prompt investigations and symptomatic treatments, as well as limitations on complications, should be the ultimate goal. Nevertheless there is still a need for more research studies to be carried out on rat lungworm disease in Europe.

show abstract

Section: Main Textmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Clinical Featuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

The scourge of Rat lungworm disease in Continental Europe, an emerging parasite

Oduoye,

Nazir,

Nazir

et al. 2023

International Journal of Surgery: Global Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Specifically, we investigated both protozoan and helminthic zoonoses in Norway rats, Rattus norvegicus , and black rats, R. rattus, in Spanish cities (Galán-Puchades et al . 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022). In this context, the scarcity of surveys investigating zoonotic parasites of rats, particularly helminths, in cities in developed countries is rather surprising (Gliga et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of the Midi Parasep® SF technique for the detection of L1 larvae of Angiostrongylus cantonensis in faeces of infected rats

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We investigated parasitic zoonoses caused by protozoans and helminths in urban and peri-urban rat populations (Rattus norvegicus and R. rattus) in Spanish cities. Rats were trapped and then dissected to remove adult helminths, and the contents of the large intestine were retrieved for the study of parasitic forms. The Midi Parasep® solvent free (SF) technique was used to concentrate the parasites in the intestinal contents. Some of the rats studied (n = 8) were infected by the rat lungworm, Angiostongylus cantonensis, whose first stage larvae (L1) are shed in rat faeces. After the concentration technique, L1 larvae were found in the sediment of 6 of the 8 positive rats. The two negative sediment samples were due to the presence of either only adult females or, in addition to males, only young females in the lungs of the rats. In view of our results, Midi Parasep® SF turned out to be a simple, rapid, inexpensive, and sensitive method to detect nematode larvae, such as the L1 larvae of A. cantonensis (or A. costaricensis), in natural and experimentally infected rats.

show abstract

“…The 'rat lungworm' (Angiostrongylus cantonensis) is a nematode with a unique affinity for the central nervous system (CNS) found throughout the Asia-Pacific region, and more recently in the United States and Europe [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Currently, A. cantonensis is recognised globally as the leading cause of eosinophilic meningitis in humans, which is a serious condition observed when larvae migrate to the CNS [5,9,10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Angie-LAMP for diagnosis of human eosinophilic meningitis using dog as proxy: A LAMP assay forAngiostrongylus cantonensisDNA in cerebrospinal fluid

Baláž

Rivory

Hayward³

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Angiostrongylus cantonensis (rat lungworm) is recognised as the leading cause of human eosinophilic meningitis, a serious condition observed when nematode larvae migrate through the CNS. Canine Neural Angiostrongyliasis (CNA) is the analogous disease in dogs. Both humans and dogs are accidental hosts, and rapid diagnosis is warranted. A highly sensitive PCR based assay is available but often not readily accessible in many jurisdictions. An alternative DNA amplification assay that would further improve the accessibility is needed. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic utility of a newly designed LAMP assay to detect DNA of globally distributed and invasive A. cantonensis and Angiostrongylus mackerrasae, the only other neurotropic Angiostrongylus species, which is native to Australia. Methodology/Principal Findings: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from dogs (2020-2022) with a presumptive diagnosis of A. cantonensis infection were received for confirmatory laboratory testing and processed for DNA isolation and ultrasensitive Angiostrongylus qPCR. A newly designed LAMP assay targeting AcanR3390 in a diagnostic laboratory setting was directly compared to the reference ultrasensitive qPCR for determination of presence of A. cantonensis DNA to aid the diagnosis of CNA. The LAMP assay (Angie-LAMP) allowed the sensitive detection of A. cantonensis DNA from archived DNA specimens (Kappa=0.81, 95%CI 0.69-0.92; n=93) and rapid single-step lysis of archived CSF samples (Kappa=0.77, 95%CI 0.59-0.94; n=52). Only A. cantonensis DNA was detected in canine CSF samples, and co-infection with A. mackerrasae using amplicon deep sequencing (ITS-2 rDNA) was not demonstrated. Both SYD.1 and AC13 haplotypes were detected using sequencing of partial cox1. Conclusions/Significance: The Angie-LAMP assay is a useful molecular tool for detecting Angiostrongylus DNA in CSF of dogs and performs comparably to laboratory Angiostrongylus qPCR. Adaptation of single-step sample lysis improved potential applicability for effective diagnosis of angiostrongyliasis in a clinical setting for dogs and by extension for humans.

show abstract

Autochthonous Angiostrongylus cantonensis Lungworms in Urban Rats, Valencia, Spain, 2021

Cited by 16 publications

References 10 publications

The scourge of Rat lungworm disease in Continental Europe, an emerging parasite

The scourge of Rat lungworm disease in Continental Europe, an emerging parasite

Application of the Midi Parasep® SF technique for the detection of L1 larvae of Angiostrongylus cantonensis in faeces of infected rats

Angie-LAMP for diagnosis of human eosinophilic meningitis using dog as proxy: A LAMP assay forAngiostrongylus cantonensisDNA in cerebrospinal fluid

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About