Introduction

Classification

Taxonomy

• Class: Nematoda.
• Superfamily: Metastrongyloidea.
• Genus: Aelurostrongylus.

Active Forms

Resting Forms

Clinical Effects

Epidemiology

Habitat

• Adults, eggs and L1 in lungs of cats.
• L1 in feces.
• L1, L2 and L3 in a wide variety of slugs and snails.
• L3 in tissues of a number of paratenic hosts, eg rodents, frogs, lizards, birds, that have eaten the slugs or snails.

Lifecycle

• Indirect life cycle:
  1. Adult. 2. Eggs. 3. L1. 4. L3. 5. Slug/snail intermediate host. 6. Bird/rodent/frog/etc. paratenic host.

Transmission

Transmission to cat

• By ingestion of slugs/snails or particularly rodent/bird paratenic hosts.

Transmission to intermediate/paratenic host

• L1 is very active and penetrates the mollusc.
• Infected molluscs are eaten by paratenic hosts.

Pathological effects

• The worms and nests of eggs and L1 produce grossly visible grayish foci, 1-10 mm in diameter in the lung parenchyma and these may coalesce forming larger lesions which may develop a caseous center.
• Subpleural nodules are firm and raised.
• In heavy acute infections there may be a milky exudate when the lung is excized and pleural fluid may be creamy/white containing numerous eggs and larvae.
• Histologically there is hypertrophy of the tunica media of small arteries and of alveolar and bronchial smooth muscle.

Control

Control via animal

• Treatment of affected cat.

Control via chemotherapies

• Fenbendazole Fenbendazole has data sheet recommendation: 1 ml 70% liquid wormer per 2 kg bodyweight for 3 days (50 mg/kg/day for 3 days).
• 400 ug/kg ivermectin once has been shown to be effective.

Control via environment

• Prompt disposal of feces.
• Dry environment to reduce slug and snail population.

• Reduce slug and snail population.
• Prevent cat from hunting.

Diagnosis

Further Reading

Publications

Refereed papers

• Recent references from PubMed and VetMedResource.
• Burgu A & Sarimehmetoğlu O (2004) Aelurostrongylus abstrusus infection in two cats. Vet Rec 154 (19), 602-604 PubMed.
• Hamilton J M (1963) Aelurostrongylus abstrusus infection of the cat. Vet Rec 75, 417-422.