Difference between revisions of "Angiostrongylus vasorum"
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Revision as of 21:55, 25 June 2010
ANGIOSTRONGYLUS VASORUM
- Infects dogs and foxes.
- A typical metastrongyloid, with the adult worms living in the pulmonary arteries and the right side of the heart.
Life-Cycle
Adults (approximately 2cm), produce anticoagulants to reduce thrombus formation leading to coagulation disorders:
→ eggs laid into pulmonary arteries
→ trapped in lung capillaries
→ larvae (with merastrongyloid kinky tail) hatch out
→ alveoli (causing a small injury)
→ trachea
→ swallowed
→ passed in faeces
→ slug (intermediate host)
→ eaten by dog or fox (final hosts)
→ larvae migrate via mesenteric lymph nodes
→ blood stream
→ heart.
Epidemiology
Once restricted to Southern Ireland and Cornwall, this lungworm is spreading across the British Isles and is now endemic in the South-East. The fox may act as a reservoir of infection.
Angiostrongylosis
- Clinical signs of angiostrongylosis are associated with:
- accumulating lung damage caused by eggs and larvae (respiratory distress)
- coagulation disorders caused by adult worms (bruising, haematomas, e.g. in spinal cord)
- Diagnosis: demonstration of large numbers of L1 in faeces (with Barmann technique).
Treatment of Lungworms in Dogs and Cats
- Angiostrongylus vasorum is easy to treat with suitable anthelmintics, but the others require high daily doses of benzimidazoles for 3-7days.
- Two or more courses of treatment may be necessary (with a rest period between each).