RMCA literature published elsewhere
Publication details
Dimzas, D., Di Cesare, A., Morelli, S., Iorio, R., Backeljau, T., Vanderheyden, A., Lombal, A., De Meyer, M., Meganck, K., Smitz, N., Kassari, N., Traversa, D. & Diakou, A. 2022. ‘Metastrongyloid parasites of felines in naturally infected gastropods in Greece’. 15th ICZEGAR. Book of abstracts. Mytilini, Greece, 66.
Conference abstract
Various terrestrial gastropods are intermediate hosts of metastrongyloid nematodes that affect the cardiopulmonary system of felines. The aim of the present study was to investigate the intermediate gastropod host species of feline metastrongyloids in Greece. A total of 1212 terrestrial gastropods were collected from 20 geographical regions and processed by artificial digestion for nematode detection. The gastropods and the retrieved larvae were identified by morphology and molecular methods. A total of 140 (11.55%) gastropods were infected with one or multiple metastrongyloids. Aelurostrongylus abstrusus larvae were found in Eobania vermiculata (n=3), Cornu aspersum (n=15), Helix lucorum (n=1), Limacus flavus (n=36), Derocercas sp. (n=3), Tandonia sowerbyi (n=1) Limax conemenosi (n=1) and Lehmania valentiana (n=1). Troglostrongylus brevior was found in C. aspersum (n=15), L. conemenosi (n=1) and L. flavus (n=49) and T. sowerbyi (n=2). Angiostrongylus chabaudi was found in Zebrina detrita (n=1), H. lucorum (n=6), Helix philibinensis (n=1), E. vermiculata (n=9), Caucasotachea vindobonensis (n=1), L. conemenosi (n=2), T. sowerbyi (n=1), Limax spp. (n=1) and L. flavus (n=1). Co-infections were recorded in C. aspersum (A. abstrusus-T. brevior, n=4), L. conemenosi (A. abstrusus-A. chabaudi, n=2), L. flavus (A. abstrusus-T. brevior, n=19,; T. brevior-A. chabaudi, n=1), Derocercas sp. (T. brevior-A. chabaudi, n=1) and T. sowerbyi (A. abstrusus-T. brevior-A. chabaudi, n=1). Identification of the rest slug samples is pending. This study provides updated and extended evidence of intermediate gastropod host species of the major feline metastrongyloids by the detection of first, second and, most importantly, the infective third stage larvae, in wild-caught snails and slugs from habitats of domestic cats (Felis catus) and wildcats (Felis silvestris).