Detection of Angiostrongylus vasorum in Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from Brandenburg, Germany

Härtwig, Vera; Schulze, Christoph; Barutzki, D.; Schaper, Roland; Daugschies, Arwid; Dyachenko, Viktor

doi:10.1007/s00436-015-4524-x

Cited by 9 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 46 publications

(61 reference statements)

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“…In our material only two foxes harbored A. vasorum and none of the raccoon dogs were infected. In the Havelland district in western Brandenburg, 9% of foxes were diagnosed positive for A. vasorum but raccoon dogs gave negative results [47]. Also in other studies A. vasorum was not detected in raccoon dogs [5,48].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

A comparative study of helminths of raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procynoides) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) sharing the same territory

Schuster¹,

Shimalov²

2017

APJTD

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

A comparative study of helminths of raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procynoides) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) sharing the same territory

Schuster¹,

Shimalov²

2017

APJTD

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“…The aim of the underlying study was to gain data on lungworm infections in red foxes from Germany, with a focus on endemic areas of canine lungworm infections. Past German wild reservoir studies with sample sizes between 100 and 400 foxes reported no A. vasorum occurrence, a maximum prevalence of 35% for C. vulpis and up to 77.8% prevalence for E. aerophilus [ 17 , 46 – 49 ], while a recent study examining foxes in Brandenburg (eastern Germany) detected 9.0% prevalence for A. vasorum via PCR in lung tissue [ 50 ]. Thus, the overall prevalence of the current study for A. vasorum (14.1%) is the highest reported so far for foxes in Germany.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence survey on lungworm (Angiostrongylus vasorum, Crenosoma vulpis, Eucoleus aerophilus) infections of wild red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in central Germany

et al. 2018

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BackgroundAngiostrongylus vasorum, Crenosoma vulpis and Eucoleus aerophilus are a source of increasing concern, potentially causing significant pulmonary and severe cardiac/systemic diseases in domestic dogs and wild canids, especially red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). To investigate the prevalence and geographical distribution of these parasites in central Germany, a total of 569 foxes were examined by dissection.MethodsPluck (heart and lung) and faecal samples of red foxes were collected from three regions of Germany. Lungs, hearts and adjacent vessels were processed for adult nematode detection. Parasitological diagnoses of faecal samples were performed by SAF technique, Giardia- and Cryptosporidium-Coproantigen-ELISAs and by a duplex copro-PCR for the detection of A. vasorum and C. vulpis DNA.ResultsFoxes originated from three Federal States of central Germany: Thuringia (n = 359); Rhineland-Palatinate (n = 121) and Hesse (n = 89). High prevalences for all three nematodes were detected, with E. aerophilus (69.4%; 395/569), followed by C. vulpis (32.3%; 184/569) and A. vasorum (14.1%; 80/569). In case of A. vasorum, prevalences varied significantly between Federal States, with the highest prevalence of 27.3% in Rhineland-Palatinate, followed by 19.1% and 8.4% in Hesse and Thuringia, respectively. The presence of A. vasorum in fox populations showed a rather patchy distribution, increasing from north-eastern to south-western regions. Analyses on C. vulpis revealed prevalences of 35.1%, 30.3% and 25.6% (Thuringia, Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, respectively). The most prevalent lungworm nematode was E. aerophilus, with a prevalence of 75.2%, 71.9% and 66.9% (Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and Thuringia, respectively) and an almost area-wide equal distribution. Significant differences for single parasite prevalences within geographical regions of the Federal States could be detected whilst no correlation between age or gender and parasite occurrence was estimated. Weak seasonality for the winter months for A. vasorum, stronger correlation to spring and late summer for C. vulpis and no correlation to any season for E. aerophilus were detected. The method of dissection revealed a significantly higher sensitivity for C. vulpis when compared with the results of the duplex copro-PCR.ConclusionsA sylvatic cycle was confirmed for all three lungworm nematodes in the examined area. The prevalences for all three lungworm nematodes are some of the highest recorded so far in German foxes. The data suggest that A. vasorum might be spreading from south-western to north-eastern parts of Germany.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-018-2672-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…In Denmark, recognized as an endemic area, A. vasorum was recorded in 48.6% of foxes (Saeed et al, 2006). The disease has recently been diagnosed in German red foxes, showing regionally differing prevalences of 8.4 %, 19.1 %, 27.3%, and 9% for Thuringia, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatine, and the Federal State of Brandenburg, respectively (Schug et al, 2013;Härtwig et al, 2015). In Portugal, A. vasorum was found in 16.1% of 62 red foxes (Eira et al, 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Prevalence in red foxes in Poland in the Forest District Głęboki Brod in Augustowska Primeval Forest has been estimated at 5.2% (Demiaszkiewicz et al, 2014). The prevalence was estimated based on necropsy and examination of the heart and lungs in all the studies except for the study by Härtwig et al (2015) who used real-time PCR.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The distribution of A. vasorum in red foxes in Europe is well investigated in some countries (Saeed et al, 2006;Morgan et al, 2008;Schug et al, 2013;Eleni et al, 2014;Härtwig et al, 2015;Santoro et al, 2015;Tolnai et al, 2015;McCarthy et al, 2016) while on the other hand, there are still many uninvestigated regions. MAŚLANKA T., ZUŚKA-PROT M.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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First report of Angiostrongylus vasorum in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Serbia

Gavrilović¹,

Todorović²,

Pavlović

et al. 2019

J Hellenic Vet Med Soc

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Angiostrongylosis caused by Angiostrongylus vasorum is an emerging disease in Europe and the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is considered as a main reservoir species for this parasite. Since there have been no reports of A. vasorum in red foxes in Serbia at the time of carrying out our investigations, the aim of the investigations was to explore the role of red foxes in South Banat (northern Serbia) as reservoirs for A. vasorum. Legally hunted foxes were autopsied in the Veterinary Specialised Institute “Pančevo”. The heart, lungs and pulmonary artery were examined macroscopically for evidence of gross lesions and for the presence of adult specimens of A. vasorum. Impression smears of the changed lung tissue were examined microscopically for the presence of first stage larvae of A. vasorum and histopathological examination was performed on lung samples. Out of 24 examined foxes hunted in different locations, 13 had lesions manifested in the lungs, which were suspected to be indicative of angiostrongylosis. In the majority of the foxes distal parts of the pulmonary lobes were swollen, firm, and discoloured to dark-red, dark-yellow and darkbrown. The characteristic lesions in distal parts of the pulmonary lobes were completely consistent with the presence of adult parasites in the right heart and pulmonary arteries, and with the presence of the first stage larvae in the impression smears. The present finding contributes to the knowledge of geographic distribution of angiostrongylosis in red foxes in Europe and provides valuable information that should raise awareness in veterinarians to consider this parasitosis in dogs with signs of cardiopulmonary diseases.

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Detection of Angiostrongylus vasorum in Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from Brandenburg, Germany

Cited by 9 publications

References 46 publications

A comparative study of helminths of raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procynoides) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) sharing the same territory

A comparative study of helminths of raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procynoides) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) sharing the same territory

Prevalence survey on lungworm (Angiostrongylus vasorum, Crenosoma vulpis, Eucoleus aerophilus) infections of wild red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in central Germany

First report of Angiostrongylus vasorum in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Serbia

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