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Comparison of faecal techniques including FLOTAC for copromicroscopic detection of first stage larvae of Angiostrongylus vasorum

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Abstract

Angiostrongylus vasorum is a metastrongylid nematode that resides in the pulmonary arteries and the right heart chambers. In dogs, infection results in respiratory, bleeding and neurological disorders and further clinical signs. In the present study, FLOTAC was evaluated for the detection of first-stage larvae (L1) of A. vasorum in canine faecal samples. This technique is based on the counting of parasitic stages (eggs, larvae, oocysts and cysts) in chambers after spinning of faecal samples onto a surface. In a first step, nine flotation solutions were evaluated using faeces of two experimentally infected dogs. Zinc sulphate (specific gravity (s.g.) 1.2) and zinc sulphate plus potassium iodomercurate (s.g. 1.45) gave good results. However, with the latter technique, the larvae were slightly deformed. Subsequently, FLOTAC, using zinc sulphate, was compared through a randomisation technique with McMaster, flotation in tube and Baermann–Wetzel technique. The mean larvae per gramme (LPG) obtained by the FLOTAC for both dogs was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those obtained by the other three techniques (the means of the other techniques all lie below the 95% CI of the mean LPG of the FLOTAC technique). In addition, the FLOTAC results were consistent across replicates with only Poisson (or random) variation between individual replicates. The other techniques appear to be less consistent with evidence of extra-Poisson variation in at least one of the two dogs across the replicates within each technique. The FLOTAC technique may contribute to an improvement of the ability to diagnose canine lungworm infections and represent a valuable alternative for larval counting of A. vasorum in faecal samples, especially following transport or storage where there may be limited larvae viability, and larval migration techniques cannot be used.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Parasitology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Manuela Schnyder, Lucia Kohler & Peter Deplazes

  2. Dipartimento di Patologia e Sanità Animale, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy

    Maria P. Maurelli, Maria E. Morgoglione, Giuseppe Cringoli & Laura Rinaldi

  3. Section of Veterinary Epidemiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Paul Torgerson

  4. Institute of Parasitology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 266a, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland

    Manuela Schnyder

Authors
  1. Manuela Schnyder
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  2. Maria P. Maurelli
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  3. Maria E. Morgoglione
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  4. Lucia Kohler
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  5. Peter Deplazes
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  6. Paul Torgerson
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  7. Giuseppe Cringoli
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  8. Laura Rinaldi
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Correspondence to Manuela Schnyder.

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Schnyder, M., Maurelli, M.P., Morgoglione, M.E. et al. Comparison of faecal techniques including FLOTAC for copromicroscopic detection of first stage larvae of Angiostrongylus vasorum . Parasitol Res 109, 63–69 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-010-2221-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-010-2221-3

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