Canine angiostrongylosis: The French heartworm: An emerging threat in North America

• Published in: Veterinary parasitology Vol. 176; no. 4; pp. 382 - 389
• Main Author: Conboy, G.A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 22-03-2011
• Subjects: Angiostrongylosis; Angiostrongylus - growth & development; Angiostrongylus - pathogenicity; Angiostrongylus vasorum; Animals; Anthelmintics - therapeutic use; antigens; Antigens, Helminth - blood; Anura - parasitology; blood sampling; Canidae; Coagulopathy; coasts; Communicable Diseases, Emerging - diagnosis; Communicable Diseases, Emerging - drug therapy; Communicable Diseases, Emerging - epidemiology; Communicable Diseases, Emerging - parasitology; Communicable Diseases, Emerging - veterinary; Computer Simulation; computers; Disease Reservoirs - parasitology; Disease Reservoirs - veterinary; Disease Transmission, Infectious - veterinary; dog diseases; Dog Diseases - diagnosis; Dog Diseases - drug therapy; Dog Diseases - epidemiology; Dog Diseases - parasitology; Dogs; emerging diseases; enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Europe - epidemiology; feces; Feces - parasitology; Female; foxes; Foxes - parasitology; French heartworm; frogs; Gastropoda; Gastropoda - parasitology; geographical distribution; heartworms; Host Specificity; ingestion; larvae; Life Cycle Stages; Male; moxidectin; new methods; North America - epidemiology; paratenic hosts; polymerase chain reaction; Prevalence; probability; pulmonary artery; Right-sided congestive heart failure; Strongylida Infections - diagnosis; Strongylida Infections - drug therapy; Strongylida Infections - epidemiology; Strongylida Infections - parasitology; Verminous pneumonia; North America; Europe; Angiostrongylosis; French heartworm; Right-sided congestive heart failure; Coagulopathy; Angiostrongylus vasorum; Verminous pneumonia
• ISSN: 0304-4017; 1873-2550
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2011.01.025

Angiostrongylus vasorum, French heartworm, is a metastrongloid parasite found in the pulmonary arteries and right ventricle of wild and domestic canids and various other animals. The natural definitive hosts are species of foxes. The geographic distribution of the parasite includes various countries of Europe, Africa, South America, and North America. Angiostrongylosis is considered an emerging disease in dogs in Europe. In North America, autochthonous
A. vasorum infection occurs only in the Canadian province of Newfoundland-Labrador. Computer modeling suggests there is a high probability that
A. vasorum will spread to other parts of North America and will likely become endemic in the eastern half of the continent and in the states and provinces along the western coast. Animals acquire infection by the ingestion of gastropod or frog intermediate hosts that carry the infective 3rd-stage larvae. Frogs can also serve as paratenic hosts. Definitive antemortem diagnosis is by detection of L
1 in feces, sputum, or bronchoalveolar lavage samples. Baermann fecal examination is the most reliable method for fecal detection. However, false negative results can occur due to the typical erratic/sporadic fecal larval shedding pattern of
A. vasorum. Recently, promising new methods for
A. vasorum infection diagnosis have been reported involving polymerase chain reaction of blood and fecal samples and a sandwich ELISA for detection of circulating worm excretory/secretory antigen. Current treatment options include moxidectin, milbemycin oxime, and fenbendazole.