Autochthonous <i>Angiostrongylus cantonensis</i> Lungworms in Urban Rats, Valencia, Spain, 2021
María Teresa Galán‐Puchades, Mercedes Gómez-Samblás, Antonio Osuna, Sandra Sáez‐Durán, Rubén Bueno‐Marí, Màrius V. Fuentes
Abstract
To determine the role of rats as potential reservoirs of zoonotic parasites, we examined rats trapped in urban sewers of Valencia, Spain, in 2021. Morphologic and molecular identification and sequencing identified autochthonous Angiostrongylus cantonensis nematodes, the most common cause of human eosinophilic meningitis, in pulmonary arteries of Rattus norvegicus and R. rattus rats.
Topics & Concepts
Angiostrongylus cantonensisLungwormAngiostrongyliasisBiologyMeningitisHelminthsVeterinary medicineZoologyPathologyMedicinePsychiatryMollusks and Parasites StudiesMedical and Biological Ozone ResearchParasite Biology and Host Interactions