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Histological and Immunohistochemical Characterization of Vascular Alterations in Meninges of Cats Infected with Gurltia paralysans. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11010088. [PMID: 35056036 PMCID: PMC8781038 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11010088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Gurltia paralysans, a metastrongyloid nematode, parasitizes in meningeal vessels in the thoracolumbar spinal cord of cats in South America and causes progressive paraparesis. Recently, the first report outside of South America described gurltiosis in a cat in Spain. As this parasitic disease has so far been largely neglected, especially outside of South America, the aim of the present case study was to add knowledge to the histologic and immunohistochemical characterization of central nervous lesions. To this purpose, formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples from the spinal cord and brain of five cats affected by clinical signs caused by Gurltia paralysans and of three control cats without CNS lesions were histopathologically examined using hematoxylin and eosin stain (HE), Elastica van Gieson stain, as well as periodic acid–Schiff (PAS) reaction. Moreover, immuno- histochemistry for alpha smooth muscle actin and Factor VIII-related antigen were performed to characterize vascular lesions. Lesions were consistent with previous descriptions and were mainly located in the spinal cord and consisted of chronic suppurative or lymphoplasmahistiocytic meningi tis as well as suppurative vasculitis, congestion and varicosis of meningeal veins. In view of the recent detection of this parasite in Europe and the increasing inner-European transport of rescued domestic cats, veterinarians in Europe should be aware of the clinical and pathomorphological presentation of this disease.
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The Neglected Angio-Neurotrophic Parasite Gurltia paralysans (Nematoda: Angiostrongylidae): Northernmost South American Distribution, Current Knowledge, and Future Perspectives. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10121601. [PMID: 34959555 PMCID: PMC8707030 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10121601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Revised: 12/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Gurltia paralysans is a rare metastrongyloid nematode in South America that has begun to gain relevance in feline internal medicine as a differential diagnosis of progressive degenerative myelopathy disorders. The parasite life cycle has not been fully elucidated but probably involves invertebrate gastropod fauna as obligate intermediate hosts; thus, G. paralysans remaining an extremely neglected parasitosis. Feline gurltiosis intra vitam diagnosis is highly challenging due to lack of evidence in the excretion of G. paralysans eggs and larvae, neither in feces nor in other body secretions because environmental stages and the transmission route of the parasite remain unknown. Unfortunately, no experimental trials for the treatment of feline gurltiosis have been conducted to date. However, there are some reports of the successfully antiparasitic drugs used with different effectiveness and clinical improvement results in diagnosed cats. Further studies are needed to evaluate the parasite occurrence among domestic cats and the neotropical wild felid species distributed within Colombia in addition to the gastropod fauna that may harbor the developing larvae (L1–L3) stages of this underestimated parasite.
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Barrios N, Gómez M, Zanelli M, Rojas-Barón L, Sepúlveda-García P, Alabí A, Adasme M, Müller A, Rosenfeld C, González-Lagos C, Taubert A, Hermosilla C. A Molecular Survey on Neglected Gurltia paralysans and Aelurostrongylus abstrusus Infections in Domestic Cats ( Felis catus) from Southern Chile. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10091195. [PMID: 34578227 PMCID: PMC8468845 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10091195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 09/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Gurltia paralysans and Aelurostrongylus abstrusus are neglected metastrongyloid nematode species which infect domestic and wild cats in South American countries and in Chile, but no epidemiological studies on concomitant infections have been conducted in Chile so far. The aim of this study was not only to evaluate the occurrence of concomitant infections, but also to identify epidemiological risk factors associated with of G. paralysans and A. abstrusus infections in urban domestic cats (Felis catus) from Southern Chile. Blood samples from clinically healthy domestic cats from three cities of Southern Chile-Temuco, Valdivia, and Puerto Montt-were analyzed by an experimental semi-nested PCR protocol. A total of 171 apparently healthy domestic cats in Temuco (n = 68), Valdivia (n = 50), and Puerto Montt (n = 53) were sampled and analyzed. A total of 93 domestic cats (54.4%) were positive for G. paralysans, and 34 (19.9%) were positive for A. abstrusus infections. From those animals, 34 (19.9%) were co-infected. Cats positive with G. paralysans were found in all three cities; 47.2% in Puerto Montt, 48% in Valdivia, and 64.7% in Temuco. Levels of infection for A. abstrusus in the population under study were 4% (Valdivia), 10% (Puerto Montt), and 32.4% (Temuco). The present large-scale epidemiological study confirmed the presence of these neglected nematodes in domestic cat populations in Southern Chile, and described the possible risk factors associated with feline gurltiosis and aelurostrongylosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasha Barrios
- Instituto de Farmacología y Morfofisiología, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia 5090000, Chile; (N.B.); (L.R.-B.)
| | - Marcelo Gómez
- Instituto de Farmacología y Morfofisiología, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia 5090000, Chile; (N.B.); (L.R.-B.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +56-6322-21548 or +56-6322-23247
| | - Macarena Zanelli
- Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad Santo Tomas, Puerto Montt 5480000, Chile;
| | - Lisbeth Rojas-Barón
- Instituto de Farmacología y Morfofisiología, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia 5090000, Chile; (N.B.); (L.R.-B.)
- Institute of Parasitology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35392 Giessen, Germany; (A.T.); (C.H.)
| | - Paulina Sepúlveda-García
- Instituto de Ciencias Clínicas Veterinarias, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia 5090000, Chile; (P.S.-G.); (A.A.); (M.A.); (A.M.)
| | - Amir Alabí
- Instituto de Ciencias Clínicas Veterinarias, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia 5090000, Chile; (P.S.-G.); (A.A.); (M.A.); (A.M.)
| | - Melany Adasme
- Instituto de Ciencias Clínicas Veterinarias, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia 5090000, Chile; (P.S.-G.); (A.A.); (M.A.); (A.M.)
| | - Ananda Müller
- Instituto de Ciencias Clínicas Veterinarias, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia 5090000, Chile; (P.S.-G.); (A.A.); (M.A.); (A.M.)
- Biomedical Sciences Department, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre 42123, Saint Kitts and Nevis
| | - Carla Rosenfeld
- Instituto de Medicina Preventiva Veterinaria, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia 5090000, Chile;
| | - César González-Lagos
- Departamento de Ciencias, Facultad de Artes Liberales, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago 8320000, Chile;
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Santiago 8331150, Chile
| | - Anja Taubert
- Institute of Parasitology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35392 Giessen, Germany; (A.T.); (C.H.)
| | - Carlos Hermosilla
- Institute of Parasitology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35392 Giessen, Germany; (A.T.); (C.H.)
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