Aberrant ocular infection by Angiostrongylus vasorum in a dog

Aberrant ocular infection by Angiostrongylus vasorum in a dog Lia Riccardo Paolo1 Traversa Donato2 D’Anna Nunzio3 Giannelli Alessio1, Dantas-Torres Filipe1,4, Otranto Domenico1 Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, Italy; 2Facoltà di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Teramo, Italy; 3 Clinica Veterinaria Roma Sud, Roma, Italy; 4 Department of Immunology, Aggeu Magalhães Research Centre, Recife-PE, Brazil Introduction Canine angiostrongylosis caused by Angiostrongylus vasorum (Strongylida: Angiostrongylidae) is an emerging mollusc-borne parasitosis causing cardio-respiratory signs and coagulopathies. The nematode resides in the pulmonary arteries and in the right side of the heart of dogs that become infected by the ingestion of gastropod intermediate hosts (i.e., slugs and snails). This helminthic disease is an emerging issue in several European countries, including Italy (Traversa et al., 2013, Parasitol Res, 112:2473-2480). Although A. vasorum may localize in other districts (i.e., spleen, pancreas, kidneys, liver, skeletal muscles, brain), aberrant ocular migrations have been reported only sporadically (Raillet & Henry, 1913, Bullettin de la Societe Centrale de Medicine Veterinarie. 67:209-215; Henry & Lesbouyries, 1927, Bullettin de la Societe Centrale de Medicine Veterinarie, 80:263-265; Rosenlund et al., 1993, Eur J. Compan Anim. Pract., 3:31-33; King et al., 1994, J. Small Anim. Pract., 35:326-328; Parry et al., 1994, Can. Vet. J., 32:430-431; Payen, 2004, International Veterinary Ophthalmology Meeting; Munich. p. 125; Manning, 2007, Vet Rec., 160:625-627). The present study describes an unusual case of ocular angiostrongylosis in a dog living in central Italy. Materials and methods A 5 month-old mixed-breed dog was referred to a private veterinary clinic in Roma for an ophthalmological examination, during which corneal oedema and episcleral hyperaemia in the right eye was observed. After a diagnosis of anterior uveitis, the ultrasound examination of the eye showed a blood clot in the anterior chamber. Fifteen days after the visit, the hyphema disappeared but a free-swimming nematode was retrieved in the anterior chamber. The nematode was extracted surgically and morphologically and morphometrically identified (Costa et al., 2003, Revue Med. Vet., 154:9-16). Topical and systemic antibiotics and steroids were administered for the following 3 weeks and dog recovered without any complication. Results The nematode (105 mm in length and 0.29 mm in width at the middle portion; anterior and posterior ends of 0.109 mm and 0.176 mm in length, respectively) was identified as a male A. vasorum. Briefly, the nematode presented a smooth cuticle and a slender body, attenuated at the end and enlarged anteriorly where a small buccal aperture was observed. The posterior end was ventrally curved, with a short copulatory bursa. Spicules measured 0.404 mm and 0.388 mm in length. Conclusions Several clinical signs have been associated to A. vasorum, but the presence of larvae and pre-adult stages within the eyes are an occasional finding. Ocular angiostrongylosis has been sporadically described in dogs from France, United Kingdom, Denmark and Canada. This is the first report of A. vasorum in the eye of a dog from Italy. Practitioners working in areas where A. vasorum is endemic should include canine angiostrongylosis not only in the differential diagnosis of canine cardio-respiratory diseases but also of ocular diseases.