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ORIGINAL PAPER
First evidence of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris)
as definitive host of Angiostrongylus chabaudi
Anastasia Diakou
1
&Dimitra Psalla
2
&Despina Migli
3
&Angela Di Cesare
4
&
Dionisios Youlatos
3
&Federica Marcer
5
&Donato Traversa
4
Received: 18 November 2015 / Accepted: 27 November 2015
#Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015
Abstract Angiostrongylus chabaudi (Strongylida,
Angiostrongylidae) is a parasitic nematode described for the
first time last century from the pulmonary arteries of six
European wildcats (Felis silvestris silvestris) in central Italy.
Since then, this parasite remained practically unknown until
recently, when immature A. chabaudi have been reported from
one wildcat in Germany and two domestic cats (Felis silvestris
catus) in Italy. The present report describes the first record of
A. chabaudi in Greece and, most importantly, the first known
case of patent infection by A. chabaudi. The necropsy of a
road-killed F. s. silvestris found near the lake Kerkini, in the
municipality of Serres (Macedonia, Greece), revealed the
presence of nematodes of both sexes in the right ventricle
and the pulmonary artery of the heart. All parasites were ma-
ture adults and numerous eggs were present in the uteruses of
females. The morphological characteristics of the parasites
were consistent with those of A. chabaudi. Moreover,
Angiostrongylus-like first stage larvae (L1) were present in
the faeces of the animal that was negative for any other
cardio-pulmonary parasite. Genetic examination of adult par-
asites and L1 confirmed the morphological identification as
A. chabaudi. Histopathological examination of the lungs
showed severe, multifocal to coalescing, chronic, interstitial
granulomatous pneumonia due to the presence of adult para-
sites, larvae and eggs. These findings demonstrate for the first
unequivocal time that this nematode reproduces in the
European wildcat which should be ultimately considered a
definitive host of A. chabaudi.Finally,theL1ofA. chabaudi
are described here for the first time, opening new prospects for
further studies on this neglected parasite.
Keywords Angiostrongylus chabaudi .Angiostrongylosis .
Wildcat .Felis silvestris silvestris .Morphology .Histology .
Feline
Introduction
In general, very few parasites infect the cardiovascular system
of felids. Dirofilaria immitis, i.e. the dog heartworm, is the most
common and may sometimes occur in domestic and wild felids,
especially in areas with high prevalence of infection in canine
populations (Bowman and Atkins 2009). Two metastrongyloid
nematodes belonging to the genus Angiostrongylus have been
recorded in wild felids. Angiostrongylus chabaudi was de-
scribed for the first time in 1957 from the pulmonary arteries
and the right heart of European wildcats (Felis silvestris
silvestris) in central Italy (Biocca 1957) and more recently,
Angiostrongylus felineus was found in the pulmonary arteries
of a yagouaroundi (Puma yagouaroundi) in Brazil (Vieira et al.
2013). Indeed, knowledge on felid angiostrongylosis is rather
poor. In particular, A. chabaudi, since its first description,
remained practically unknown until recently, when immature
*Anastasia Diakou
diakou@vet.auth.gr
1
Laboratory of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, School of
Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle
University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
2
Laboratory of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of
Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki,
54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
3
Department of Zoology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of
Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
4
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Teaching Veterinary Hospital,
Località Piano d’Accio snc, 64100 Teramo, Italy
5
Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health, University
of Padova, 35122 Padova, Italy
Parasitol Res
DOI 10.1007/s00436-015-4860-x
adults were reported from two domestic cats (Felis silvestris
catus) in Italy (Varcasia et al. 2014; Traversa et al. 2015).
Additionally, there is also an unconfirmed report of
A. chabaudi in a wildcat from Germany (Steeb et al. 2014)
and a report of nematodes of the genus Angiostrongylus in a
wildcat from Italy (Veronesi et al. 2015).
ThelifecycleofA. chabaudi is unknown but, in analogy to
the other species of the genus (Spratt 2015), the first stage larvae
(L1) are supposed to be shed to the environment via the faeces
of the definitive host and to develop to the infective stage in an
intermediate host, possibly a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod.
Interestingly, the L1 of A. chabaudi, i.e. the diagnostic stage,
has never been described and the definitive host, although as-
sumed to be the European wildcat, is not known. In fact, L1 are
not mentioned in Biocca’s first description of A. chabaudi
(Biocca 1957) and only immature or unfertilized specimens
with no eggs or L1 were described in the recent reports (Steeb
et al. 2014;Varcasiaetal.2014; Traversa et al. 2015).
Infections by A. chabaudi and other little known cardio-
respiratory nematodes in felids, especially in domestic cats
(F. s. catus), have recently become a priority in veterinary
parasitology for a range of reasons, such as the increasing
prevalence of detection for some of these parasites and the
need for clarification of their pathogenetic role in their hosts
(DiCesareetal.2015c). Considering the important gaps
existing in our knowledge on A. chabaudi, there is significant
merit to add new crucial data on the infection caused by this
almost unknown nematode. There is also the need of a better
knowledge on this infection in domestic cats because the re-
cent findings in these animals have raised questions about the
ability of the parasite to reach genetic maturation and its po-
tential to cause clinical disease in F. s. catus (Varcasia et al.
2014; Di Cesare et al. 2015c; Traversa et al. 2015).
The present paper reports on the first record of mature male
and female A. chabaudi in a European wildcat in Greece and,
most importantly, describes for the first time the L1 of the
parasite. In addition, the first evidence of the pathogenic po-
tential of A. chabaudi is here presented, based on the histolog-
ical examination of lung lesions caused in the infected animal.
Materials and methods
A road-killed, male wildcat was found in the area of Kerkini
Lake National Park, municipality of Serres (41.35400°N,
023.35288°E, 73 m alt.). The animal was identified as pure
European wildcat (F. s. silvestris) according to morphological
and morphometric characteristics, as well as molecular mito-
chondrial markers (Ragni 1981; Ragni and Possenti 1996;
Randi et al. 2001;Mattuccietal.2013). At necropsy, nine slen-
der nematodes were recovered from the right ventricle (n=7) of
the heart (Fig. 1) and the proximal pulmonary artery (n=2).The
parasites were put into saline, examined under a stereomicro-
scope and an optical microscope, and then preserved in alcohol.
No parasites were found in the trachea, bronchi and bronchioles
of the animal. The nematodes were microscopically identified
on the basis of their morphological and morphometric features
(Biocca 1957;Varcasiaetal.2014; Traversa et al. 2015).
Pulmonary lavage was performed with saline and the fluid
was collected, centrifuged and the sediment was examined
under an optic microscope. In addition, parasitological faecal
examination (i.e. flotation, sedimentation and Baermann
method) was performed on the contents of the large intestine
Fig. 1 A. chabaudi (arrows) on the endothelium of the right ventricle of a
wildcat in Northern Greece
Fig. 2 Female (a)andmale(b)
A. chabaudi specimens from a
wildcat in Northern Greece
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(MAAF 1986; Thienpont et al. 1986). Metastrongyloid first
stage larvae (L1) were found both in the pulmonary lavage
and the faeces (by all three examination methods). The adult
nematodes and the larvae were subjected to molecular analy-
ses as recently described (Traversa et al. 2015).
Selected parts of the lungs and the heart were fixed in 10 %
neutral buffered formalin for 72 h, embedded in paraffin, sec-
tioned at 5 μm and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)
for standard subsequent histological evaluation.
Results
Parasite description
The parasites recovered were six female (21–22 mm in length
and 260–270 μm in width) and three male (14–18 mm in
length and 193–200 μm in width) nematodes (Fig. 2). Their
cuticle showed transversal striation throughout the whole
body that was more intense at both anterior and posterior
extremities (Fig. 3). The anterior extremity was tapered, bear-
ing a cephalic vesicle (Fig. 4). The oral aperture was circular,
surrounded by six labial papillae, i.e. Bperityles^in Biocca
1957. Four pairs of sensory setae, distributed in equal dis-
tances between them around the nematode body, were visible
at approximately 17 μm from the anterior end (Fig. 4). The
oesophagus was 330–360 μmlong(Fig.5)and22μmand
45–55 μm wide at its narrowest (anterior) and at its wider
(posterior) level, respectively. The excretory pore was opening
at a distance of 410–430 μm from the cephalic extremity
(Fig. 5).
The female specimens had the characteristic Bbarber-pole^
appearance, with the intestine intertwined with the genital tube
(Figs. 2and 6). Their posterior extremity was ventrally
curved, with an ~25-μm-thick marginal space between the
end of the body and the cuticle. The anal opening was at a
distance of 67–72 μmand43–45 μm from the end of the body
including and not including the cuticle margin, respectively.
The vulvar opening was at 135–142 μm distance from the anal
opening and at 180–185 μm distance from the end of the
body, not including the cuticle margin. The uterus at its distal
part was full of eggs, measuring 50–60× 36–38 μm(Fig.7).
The males had a uniform colouration throughout their body
and a slightly spiral posterior end (Fig. 2). The copulatory
bursa was relatively small and possessed two symmetrical
lateral lobes and a smaller dorsal lobe. The lateral lobes
showed two shallow indentations corresponding to the
medio-lateral and postero-lateral rays, and a deeper indenta-
tion corresponding to the ventro-lateral ray (Fig. 8). The dorsal
ray was short with a wide conical base and two short, lateral,
distal protuberances. The externo-dorsal ray was robust and
straight, with a slightly enlarged apex. The three lateral rays
had a common base, the medio-lateral and postero-lateral were
closer associated and slightly thinner than the externo-lateral
ray. The ventral rays had a long common trunk and were
distally separated from each other. The ventro-ventral ray bore
a slender, bristle-like protuberance at its tip (Fig. 8). Spicules
were long, both starting at equal distance from the end of the
body (proximal extremity, Fig. 9a), but at their distal extremity
Fig. 4 Anterior end of
A. chabaudi, female, showing
sensory setae (a,b:arrows), and
labial papillae (b:arrowheads)
Fig. 3 Posterior (a) and anterior (b) extremity of a female A. chabaudi,
showing transversal striation of the cuticle (arrows)
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one spicule was slightly longer than the other (long spic-
ule, 588–610 μm; short spicule, 576–597 μm) (Fig. 9b).
Their proximal extremity was slightly dilated and the distal
extremity was undulated, S-shaped, transversely striated,
ending with a light hyaline expansion that surrounded a
yellowish-brown central part (Fig. 9). All parasites found
in the right ventricle of the heart and the pulmonary arteries
of the wild cat were identified as A. chabaudi according to
these morphological characteristics. Measurements of
A. chabaudi specimens found in the present study are pre-
sented in detail in Table 1andcomparedwiththemeasure-
ments provided by Biocca (1957). Varcasia et al. (2014)
and Traversa et al. (2015).
Pulmonary lavage and faecal examination
The larvae found in the pulmonary lavage and in the faeces of
the animal had a typical Angiostrongylus-like morphology,
measured 362–400 μminlengthand15–18.5 μminwidth,
and had a kinked tail with dorsal spine and notch (Fig. 10).
The L1 collected in this wildcat revealed morphological
differences both in the posterior and the anterior extremity
(Fig. 11), with other common metastrongyloid L1 that can
be found in the faeces of Felidae, i.e. Aelurostrongylus
abstrusus and Troglostrongylus brevior.
Molecular identification
The ribosomal sequences of the adult nematodes and of the
larvae displayed 99–100 % identity with the Angiostrongylus
sp. found in a European wildcat from Germany (GenBank
Accession Number: KM216825.1) and with A. chabaudi iso-
late N. 1 from Italy (GenBank Accession Number:
KM009115.1).
Gross lesion and histological examination
Lungs were heavy and swollen with cobblestone appearance
and pulmonary parenchyma was multifocally consolidated.
The histological examination revealed that the pulmonary in-
terstitium was expanded and partially effaced by multifocal to
coalescing granulomatous foci. The inflammatory foci were
composed of macrophages, fibroblasts, lymphocytes and plas-
ma cells, which were arranged concentrically around numer-
ous parasitic larvae, embryonated and unembryonated eggs
(Fig. 12). The larvae had a thin eosinophilic cuticle, numerous
basophilic nuclei and an eosinophilic cytoplasm. The thin-
walled eggs were ovoid, 50–60 μm in diameter, and contained
multiple blastomeres. A cross section of an adult female par-
asite was found in the lumen of a vessel (Fig. 13)showinga
thin eosinophilic cuticle, pseudocoelom, prominent lateral
Fig. 6 Mid body of a female A.
chabaudi, showing the
intestine (dark coloured tube)
intertwined with the genital tube
(light coloured tube)
Fig. 5 Anterior part of adult
A. chabaudi male, showing the
excretory pore (arrow)andthe
oesophageal-intestinal junction
(arrowhead)
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cords, coelomyarian/pοlymyarian musculature, intestinal tract
lined by cuboidal epithelial cells and uterus with eggs.
Multifocal dilatation of the pulmonary artery branches was
also noted, with the tunica media severely thickened due to
smooth muscle hypertrophy (Fig. 14). These histopathological
features were consistent with a severe, multifocal to coalesc-
ing, chronic, interstitial granulomatous pneumonia. No histo-
logical lesions were found in the heart.
Discussion
This report corresponds to the first description ever of a patent
infection of a European wildcat by A. chabaudi.Itthusrepre-
sents a clear demonstration that the European wildcat serves
as definitive host for this almost unknown nematode parasite.
The scientific interest on pulmonary and cardiovascular
parasitic nematodes affecting cats has dramatically increased
in the past few years (Di Cesare et al. 2015c). Reports of these
infections in different hosts in various parts of the world have
brought to light new epizootiological aspects and have pro-
vided new information on the biology, ecology and pathogen-
esis of both well-known and neglected parasites (Brianti et al.
2012; Traversa and Di Cesare 2013; Colella et al. 2015).
There is evidence that specific epizootiological drivers may
favour bridging infections with extra-intestinal nematodes be-
tween the European wildcat (F. s. silvestris) and domestic cat
(F. s. catus) and vice versa (Falsone et al. 2014; Traversa et al.
2015; Veronesi et al. 2015). For example, the Bcat lungworm^
A. abstrusus is considered the most prevalent and thus most
important lung parasite of domestic cats (Traversa and Di
Cesare 2013). whilst there is evidence that it is not a common
parasite of wildcats (Jeżewski et al. 2013; Falsone et al. 2014;
Fig. 8 Copulatory bursa of a male A. chabaudi: right lateral lobe (a), left
lateral lobe (b), dorsal lobe (c), ventro-ventral ray (vv) and bristle like
protuberance (vv1), ventro-lateral ray (vl), externo-lateral ray (el),
medio-lateral ray (ml), postero-lateral ray (pl), externo-dorsal ray (ed)
Fig. 7 Female A. chabaudi.a.
Posterior end, showing the vulvar
opening (a), the anal opening (b),
and the margin between the body
end and the cuticle (c). bUterus
filled with eggs (arrows)
Fig. 9 Spicules of a male A. chabaudi.aProximal extremity, showing
slight dilatation (a). bDistal extremity (note the transversal striations),
long spicule (a), short spicule (b), hyaline expansion (c)
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Napoli et al. 2015). However, there are some recent reports of
aelurostrongylosis in F. s. silvestris (Veronesi et al. 2015).
indicating that some environmental conditions facilitate the
passage from domestic to wild cats. On the other hand, the
lungworm T. brevior was until recently affiliated exclusively
to wild felids (Traversa and Di Cesare 2013). Indeed, F. s .
silvestris is the natural reservoir of T. brevior,asshownby
the high percentage of infection (up to 71.4 %) in wildcats in
Italy (Falsone et al. 2014; Veronesi et al. 2015). However, in
the last few years, T. brevior has been increasingly reported
from domestic cats in different parts of Southern Europe
(Jefferies et al. 2010; Brianti et al. 2012,2013,2014;Di
Cesare et al. 2014a,2014b;Diakouetal.2014,2015)showing
that this neglected parasite may also infect domestic cats,
mostly in areas where the natural wild reservoir is present
(Di Cesare et al. 2015b). but also in territories where wildcats
are not being recorded (Diakou et al. 2015).
Similarly, A. chabaudi has been considered a parasite
of wildcats, as, in the first description, it was found in six
out of seven (85.7 %) examined animals and, at the same
time, it was not found in hundreds of other species (i.e.
domestic cats, dogs, red foxes and badgers) examined
from the same area in the same period (Biocca 1957).
However, L1 were neither described nor mentioned in
anykindofbiologicalmaterial,leavingagapinthemor-
phological description of the diagnostic stage of the par-
asite and an unanswered question of whether the parasite
can complete its life cycle in wildcats.
It is hard to explain why since the description of Biocca
(1957) there were not any reports of this nematode until pretty
recently, when parasites identified as A. chabaudi were
Tabl e 1 Measurements of A. chabaudi specimens found in a wildcat in Northern Greece, in comparison with the measurements obtained from
specimens previously recorded in wildcats and domestic cats. Measurements are in micrometre unless otherwise stated
Biocca 1957 Varcasia et al. 2014 Traversa et al. 2015 Present study
Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female
Total body length 14.6–16.3 mm 19.8–24.1 mm –16.9 mm 9.0 mm 19.0 mm 14–18 mm 21–22 mm
Body width 185.0–225.0 245.0–298.0 –195.8 79.0 103.7 193–200 260–270
Cephalic vesicle width –––––– 125
Cephalic vesicle length –––––– 200
Cuticle thickness –66.25
Oesophagus length 300.0–345.0 345.0–380.0 –276.6 275.0 338.0 330 360
Oesophagus width at the vulva ––––––45 50–55
Distance excretory pore to cephalic
extremity
335.0–405.0 395.0–470.0 –361.5 –370.0 370 410–430
Distance vulva to posterior extremity –170.0–210.0 –160.6 –264.1 –204–210
Distance vulva to end of the body
(without cuticle margin)
––––––– 180–185
Distance vulva to anus ––––––– 135–142
Spicules length 510.0–555.0 –––503.3–515.1 –Longer: 588–610–
Shorter: 576–597
Distance anus to caudal end –43.4 –64.9 –67–72
Distance anus to end of the body
(without cuticle margin)
––––––– 43–45
Fig. 10 First stage larva (L1) of A. chabaudi.aWhole larva showing
anterior (a) and posterior extremity (b). bAnterior extremity. cPosterior
extremity
Parasitol Res
unequivocally found in two domestic cats in Italy (Varcasia et
al. 2014;Traversaetal.2015). More specifically, 57 years after
its first description, one specimen of A. chabaudi was found in
a road-killed domestic cat in Sardinia (Varcasia et al. 2014).
The genetic analysis of the parasite showed 99 % identity with
a specimen of Angiostrongylus sp. recovered from the pulmo-
nary artery of a wildcat in Germany (Steeb et al. 2014).
Importantly, this specimen was considered an immature or un-
fertilized female and no first stage larvae of the parasite were
found in the faeces of that cat (Varcasia et al. 2014).
One year later, a natural mixed infection by A. abstrusus,T.
brevior and A. chabaudi in a domestic cat was described in
central Italy (Traversa et al. 2015). In that case, one male and
one female parasite, morphologically and genetically identi-
fied as A. chabaudi, were collected from the proximal pulmo-
nary arteries of the animal. The ribosomal sequences of these
nematodes displayed 99–100 % identity with those of the
parasites previously found in Germany and Italy. Once more,
no L1 were detected in the faeces of the animal, leaving un-
answered the question whether A. chabaudi reaches sexual
maturity and mate in domestic cats (Traversa et al. 2015).
Conversely, a high number of L1 were found in the lung
parenchyma (i.e. histological examination), in the pulmonary
lavage and in the faeces of the animal of the present report
from Greece. These data fill an important gap in the morpho-
logical description of A. chabaudi diagnostic stage and
Fig. 11 Morphological comparison of first stage larvae (L1) of three
metastrongylid nematodes affecting felids: A. abstrusus (a,a
1
), T. brevior
(b,b
1
), A. chabaudi (c,c
1
). a, Anterior extremity of A. abstrusus showing
apical Bplateau^and a terminal oral opening (arrow); b,T. brev i or show-
ing a pointed head and the sub-terminal oral opening (arrow); c,A.
chabaudi showing a narrower plateau than A. abstrusus and a terminal
oral opening (arrow). a
1
, S-shaped posterior extremity of A. abstrusus
showing a prominent dorsal kink, deep dorsal and ventral incisures and
terminal knob-like endings. b
1
, S-shaped posterior extremity of T. brevior
with a shallow dorsal kink, deep dorsal (arrow) and shallow ventral
(arrowhead) incisures and straight endings. c
1
, Posterior extremity of A.
chabaudi with a small dorsal spine and notch, and short sigmoid ending
Fig. 12 Histological examination (haematoxylin-eosin staining) of the
lung of the wildcat infected with A. chabaudi. Numerous granulomatous
foci (asterisks) around numerous parasitic larvae (arrowheads)andeggs
(black arrows)
Fig. 13 Histological examination (haematoxylin-eosin staining) of the
lung of the wildcat infected with A. chabaudi, adult parasite in the
lumen of a vessel. Note the uterus (asterisk) and the digestive track
(arrows)
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provide evidence on the completion of the parasite’slifecycle
in F. s. silvestris, which should be now considered ultimately a
definitive host of this parasite.
The morphological description of A. chabaudi L1 brings
important information for the differentiation of these larvae
from other larvae with overlapping characteristics, such as
A. abstrusus and T. brevior that can be found in feline samples.
It is important to note that metastrongyloid L1 share common
general morphological features, such as transparent body and
sigmoid tail. However, the differentiating characteristics of the
L1 of these species are (a) the body length, although similar or,
in some cases, overlapping, i.e. mean length 372.5–399.1 μm
for A. abstrusus,323.5–339.3 μmforT. brevior (Brianti et al.
2012;DiCesareetal.2014a) and 362–400 μmfor
A. chabaudi (present work), and most importantly (b) the
morphologyof the posterior end in combination with the char-
acteristics of the anterior end (Fig. 11). More specifically, the
anterior extremity of A. abstrusus has an apical Bplateau^
and terminal oral opening, the anterior extremity of
T. brevior is pointed with a sub-terminal oral opening, while
A. chabaudi has a narrower plateau than A. abstrusus and a
terminal oral opening. Moreover, the posterior extremity of
A. abstrusus is S-shaped, with a prominent dorsal kink, deep
dorsal and ventral incisures and terminal knob-like endings.
The posterior extremity of T. brevior is also S-shaped, with
shallow or even non-existent dorsal kink, deep dorsal and
shallow ventral incisures and straight endings. The posterior
extremity of A. chabaudi has a more Bclean-cut^appearance,
showing a small dorsal spine and notch, and short sigmoid
ending (Fig. 11).
In general, the morphometric and morphological
characteristics of the adult parasites here retrieved were in
accordance with those originally described by Biocca (1957)
(Table 1). However, in that first description, transversal stria-
tion of the cuticle was not described, whilst a longitudinal
striation was reported. Nonetheless, this characteristic was
particularly visible in fixed specimens, so it could be either
an artefact or indiscernible in fresh specimens (Biocca 1957).
Until now, the pathogenicity of A. chabaudi has not been
established. The post mortem findings of Biocca (1957)and
Varcasia et al. (2014) did not report any pathological or clin-
ical evaluation of the infected animals, and no histological
examination of the lungs and the heart of these animals was
performed. Also, in the case reported by Traversa et al. (2015).
the pathogenic potential of A. chabaudi could not be deter-
mined because there were no pathological findings consistent
with angiostrongylosis. In the present case, although a clinical
evaluation was not possible, the histological examination of
the lung tissue revealed several lesions ascribed to the pres-
ence of adult nematodes, eggs and migrating larvae of
A. chabaudi. In this context, the marked hypertrophy and
thickening of the arterial wall (Fig. 14) is most likely a result
of the pulmonary hypertension caused by the presence of
nematodes in the pulmonary arteries (Borgeat et al. 2015). as
in canine angiostrongylosis by Angiostrongylus vasorum
(Helm et al. 2010). As no other cardiopulmonary parasites
were found and the heart showed no anatomical or other le-
sions, the pathological findings in the lungs and the pulmo-
nary arteries should be exclusively attributed to A. chabaudi.
This suggests that the parasite can play a relevant pathogenic
role in infected wildcats.
Although the present findings confirm that the European
wildcat (F. s. silvestris) is a definitive host of A. chabaudi,
there are still aspects of the biology and epizootiology of this
parasite to be clarified. Remarkably, A. chabaudi was record-
ed in only 1 of 37 wildcats examined post mortem in different
sites of Central and Southern Italy in the past few years
(Falsone et al. 2014;Veronesietal.2015). and no
Angiostrongylus-like larvae were found in 121 faecal samples
of wildcats examined in Sicily (Napoli et al. 2015). This im-
plies that this parasite occurs occasionally even in its definitive
host. It would be thus important to investigate the infection
prevalence in wildcat populations from various geographic
areas, in order to achieve a sound conclusion on how this
parasite may impair health and welfare of the European wild-
cat and if it bears affiliations with specific geographic regions.
Moreover, the complete life cycle of A. chabaudi is unknown;
thus, further investigations in terrestrial molluscs, i.e. the most
probable intermediate host, would eventually indicate the spe-
cies that are involved in the transmission of the parasite and
could confer information on their geographic distribution and
their link to the dispersal of the disease.
The information currently available casts shadows on the
ability of A. chabaudi to infect also the domestic cat. In fact,
parasite specimens recently described in domestic cats
(Varcasia et al. 2014; Traversa et al. 2015)wereimmatureor
unfertilized, not fully developed and smaller than those recov-
ered in wildcats (Table 1). Additionally, no microscopic nor
genetic evidence of A. chabaudi was demonstrated in hun-
dreds of recently examined domestic cats in Italy, even in
areas where this parasite had been recorded in the wildcats
Fig. 14 Histological examination (haematoxylin-eosin staining) of the
lung of the wildcat infected with A. chabaudi. Artery presenting severe
thickening (bracket) due to smooth muscle hypertrophy
Parasitol Res
(Di Cesare et al. 2015a,b). In this context, the presented de-
scription of the L1 of A. chabaudi is pivotal for future studies
aiming at evaluating whether also the domestic cat acts as
definitive host of A. chabaudi and whether this parasite truly
causes a cardiopulmonary disease in domestic hosts.
Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank Prof. Bernardino
Ragni (University of Perugia, Italy) for his contribution in identifying the
species of the animal here examined.
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