Angiostrongylidae

PARASITES METASTRONGYLOIDAE

Aleurostrongylus abstrusus

• Cats
• Parasite of the lungs
• Lifecycle
  • Oviviparous females lay egs in lung parenchyma -> first stage larvae coughed up and swallowed ->develop further through larval stages only if enter intermediate hosts - slugs and snails ->eaten paratenic host ->paratenic host eaten by cat.
• Pathology - nematodes in pulmonary parenchyma - coughing, dyspnoea, can be fatal.

Angiostrongylus vasorum

• Dogs (Canids)
• Western Europe - not established in USA.
• Adults in pulmonary arterial tree.
  • can lead to pulmonary thrombosis and pulmonary hypertension
• Likely similar lifecycle to Aleurostrongylus abstrusus

Link to more info on A. vasorum (Will need to have an IVIS log in.)

Angiostrongylus cantonensis

• Rats
• Cause of encephalomyelitis in man and dogs
• Intermediate host - gian African snail - Achatina fulica.
• Infection occurs when eating the raw paaratenic host (either the snails, or slugs and freshwater prawns)