Passage of Angiostrongylus cantonensis through the trophic web: an experimental study on reptiles

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60077344%3A_____%2F25%3A00643520" target="_blank" >RIV/60077344:_____/25:00643520 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/00216224:14310/25:00141146 RIV/60460709:41210/25:102436 RIV/00216208:11120/25:43928002 RIV/62157124:16170/25:43882216 RIV/00023001:_____/25:00085579

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182025000034" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182025000034</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0031182025000034" target="_blank" >10.1017/S0031182025000034</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Passage of Angiostrongylus cantonensis through the trophic web: an experimental study on reptiles

Original language description

The rat lungworm Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a zoonotic metastrongyloid nematode, currently considered an emerging pathogen approaching Europe. In tropics and subtropics, it is an important food-borne neurotropic parasite of medical and veterinary importance. Sources of infection for mammals and birds include gastropod intermediate hosts and poikilothermic vertebrates (paratenic hosts). To evaluate the relevance of reptiles in the rat lungworm circulation, we performed an experimental series focused on long-term survival of third stage larvae (L3) of A. cantonensis in reptiles and potential of saurians to serve as a source of infection for further hosts. Twenty leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius) were infected with varying doses of L3 (100, 1000, 10 000 larvae per animal). Live L3 were collected from all infected geckos (mostly in musculature and liver) euthanized 1-6 months after the infection and were proven to be infective for Wistar rats (definitive hosts). Three sacrificed geckos were subsequently fed to three corn snakes (Pantheropis guttatus) to test hypothesis of L3 infectivity for predators positioned higher in the food chain. Snakes were euthanized 1 month post-infection and live L3 were detected predominantly in the intestinal wall. The animals remained clinically healthy throughout the study. No reptiles showed significant changes in haematological and biochemical blood parameters, though elevated CK and GLDH were observed in most geckos in the group receiving higher infectious dose. This study highlights the significant potential of reptiles to play a crucial role in the circulation of metastrongyloid nematodes in food web and in their transmission to humans.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

40301 - Veterinary science

Project

<a href="/en/project/GA22-26136S" target="_blank" >GA22-26136S: Ongoing global invasion of zoonotic parasitic nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis: an assessment of risks of its emergence in Europe</a><br>

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Parasitology

ISSN

0031-1820

e-ISSN

1469-8161

Volume of the periodical

152

Issue of the periodical within the volume

1

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

8

Pages from-to

115-122

UT code for WoS article

001464315800001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85216344004