Van Bourgonie, Y.R.,  Lange, M.K.,  Penagos-Tabares, F.,  Hirzmann, J.,  Failing, K.,  Sohaper, R.,  Hermosilla, C.,  Taubert, A.,  Smitz, N.,  De Meyer, M. & Backeljau, T. 2017. ‘DNA barcoding and identification of intermediate slug hosts in the framework of an epidemiological survey in Germany’. Zoology 2017. Book of abstracts.

Conference abstract

Recently, metastrongyloid lungworms that infect canids, felids and humans, have gained special attention due to their increasing prevalence in domestic and wildlife populations. There is evidence that infections of Angiostrongylus vasorum, the notorious canid lungworm species that can cause severe symptoms such as systemic bleeding disorders in domestic dogs, are spreading beyond endemic areas by means of the parasite’s most common intermediate host, viz. slugs. Nevertheless, there are only a few studies on the prevalence of metastrongyloid lungworms in their natural intermediate host populations in Europe. Therefore, the present epidemiological study assesses the prevalence of lungworm species in natural slug populations in Germany. A total of 2701 slugs was collected throughout one year in areas that were previously shown as hyperendemic for A. vasorum infections in foxes. Of these, 2304 slugs were identified on morphological characteristics. Yet, 16 slugs could not be unambiguously identified in this way and thus required an additional DNA-based validation of their identity. For these 16 specimens, DNA sequences were generated for the standard mitochondrial COI (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) barcode, as well as for 16S ribosomal RNA. Using BLAST, the sequences were compared to the reference sequences available in Genbank and BOLD to identify the slugs. They were identified as belonging to either Arion vulgaris (= Arion lusitanicus Auct.) (n = 14) or Deroceras reticulatum (n = 2) for both COI and 16S.