Original scientific paper

Incidence and regional distribution of the lungworm Aelurostrongylus abstrusus in cats in Croatia.

Željko Grabarević ; Department of General Pathology and Pathological Morphology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Stipica Ćurić ; Department of General Pathology and Pathological Morphology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Ante Tustonja ; Veterinary Station Krapina, Krapina, Croatia
Branka Artuković ; Department of General Pathology and Pathological Morphology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Zoran Šimec ; Department of General Pathology and Pathological Morphology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Kristijan Ramadan ; Department of General Pathology and Pathological Morphology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Tanja Živičnjak ; Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

Lungworm Aelurostrongylus abstrusus is a cat's lung parasite with an indirect life cycle. Its predominant sites are terminal bronchioles and alveolar ducts. In the study, two populations of cats were examined. The first group consisted of feral cats (N=50) in the rural areas of the County of Zagorje (northwest Croatia), while the second group included cats from the urban area of the City of Zagreb. For the second group, data were collected from faecal examination (N=529) from the Department of Parasitology and the gross and histopathological findings of cats' lungs (N=128) at the Department of General Pathology and Pathological Morphology of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagreb. In the first group, histopathological examination was carried out and the Ae. abstrusus was diagnosed in 22% (N=11); in the second group, Ae. abstrusus was diagnosed in 0.38% (N=2) of the faecal examinations in the eight year period (1990-1998) and 3.9% (N=5) on histopathological examination of cats' lungs, also in the same period. Histopathological examination showed alveoli, bronchiole, and alveolar ducts filled with eggs and larvae of Ae. abstrusus, disruption of alveolar septa, cellular infiltrate (mostly eosinophils, macrophages, lymphocytes and few multinucleated giant cells), peribronchial cell infiltration, and a striking hyperplasia and hypertrophy of smooth muscle, i.e. medial layer, of the pulmonic arteries.

Keywords

cats; lungworm; Aelurostrongylus abstrusus; incidence; Croatia

Hrčak ID:

133849

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/133849

Publication date:

21.10.1999.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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