Diagnostic challenges for Aelurostrongylus abstrusus infection in cats from endemic areas in Italy

Autor: Alice Vismarra, Manuela Schnyder, Christina Strube, Laura Kramer, Liliana Colombo, Marco Genchi
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: Parasites & Vectors, Vol 16, Iss 1, Pp 1-6 (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1756-3305
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05808-y
Popis: Abstract Background The lungworm Aelurostrongylus abstrusus infects wild and domestic feline species worldwide and is considered a primary respiratory parasite of cats. Definitive diagnosis is based on the identification of first-stage larvae (L1s) released in faeces approximately 5 to 6 weeks after infection. More recently, serology has been shown to be a diagnostic alternative for A. abstrusus infection in cats. The present study aimed at evaluating the diagnostic performance of serological antibody detection compared to faecal examination for A. abstrusus infection in a population of cats with known infection status from endemic areas in Italy and to identify factors (larval scores, age, co-infections with other helminths) that may influence test sensitivity and specificity of serology. Methods All cats resulting positive using the Baermann technique (n = 78) were tested with the A. abstrusus ELISA. An additional 90 serum samples from cats living in three geographical areas with infection prevalence > 10%, but that resulted negative on Baermann, were also tested. Results Among 78 cats copromicroscopically positive for L1s of A. abstrusus (Group 1), 29 (37.2%) were seropositive in ELISA. Of the 90 cats from Group 2 (cats living in three geographical areas in Italy with A. abstrusus prevalence > than 10%, but negative on Baermann examination), 11 (12.2%) were positive on ELISA. The overall seroprevalence was 23.8%. There was no statistical difference either between average optical density (OD) values of cats excreting > 100 L1s vs. cats excreting
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