©2020 Institute of Parasitology, SAS, Košice DOI 10.2478/helm­2020­0046 HELMINTHOLOGIA, 57, 4: 322 – 334, 2020 Clinical-parasitological screening for respiratory capillariosis in cats in urban environments P. STEPANOVIĆ1,*, D. DESPOTOVIĆ2, S. DIMITRIJEVIĆ3, T. ILIĆ3 1Department for equine, small animal, poultry and wild animal diseases, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bul. Oslobodjenja 18,11000 Beograd, Serbia, E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]; 2PI Veterinary Institute of the Republic of Srpska ’’Dr. Vaso Butozan’’ 78000 Banja Luka, Republic of Srpska, E-mail: [email protected]; 3Department for Parasitology, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bul. Oslobodjenja 18, 11000 Beograd, Serbia, E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Article info Summary Received April 3, 2020 Respiratory capillariosis is a widely distributed zoonotic parasitic disease caused by the nematode Accepted July 24, 2020 Capillaria aerophila (Trichocephalida, Trichuridae) that commonly infects wild carnivores but also cats and dogs. This retrospective study aims to describe cases of respiratory capillariosis in cats from the city of Belgrade, Serbia. Between 2015 and 2019, a total of 155 pet cats with or without respiratory symptoms were submitted to physical examination and parasitological examination of the feces. All cats lived indoor but had free access to outdoor. In suburban settlements, wild carnivores commonly share their living environments with owned cats and dogs. It can be assumed that more intense urbanization spreading into the natural habitats of will carnivores creates the opportunity for closer and more frequent contacts between the population of cats and feral carnivores which might increase the risk of feline contamination. The fi ndings confi rm the existence of capillaries in cats in urban areas of the city of Belgrade, contribute to a better understanding of the epidemiology of this nematode and warn that, because of close contacts between cats of pets and humans, capillaries can cause human infection. Keywords: Capillaria aerophila; cat; coprology; physical examination; Belgrade Introduction abstrusus (Knaus et al., 2015). Adult stages of the parasite live on the surface of bronchioles, bronchi, and trachea, where they are Respiratory capillariosis caused by the nematode Capillaria aero­ completely or partly fi xated to the mucosa, causing injury to the phila (Trichocephalida, Trichuridae) is a parasitic disease common epithelium and lung parenchyma. Although less frequently, they in wild carnivores including foxes (Sreter et al., 2003; Lalošević can also infest the nasal mucosa and nasal and frontal sinuses et al., 2013; Čabrilo et al., 2018), coyotes (Gompper et al, 2003), (Barrs et al., 2000). wolves (Pence & Bryant, 2002), raccoons (Schuster et al., 2001) Capillaria aerophila infection is usually subclinical and reported and bears (Crum et al., 1978; Paoletti et al., 2017). The nema- sporadically in cats. However, in the past three decades, the par- tode may also infect dogs (Traversa et al., 2009), cats (Madeira de asite has been increasingly detected in cats in Europe (Traversa Carvalho et al., 2009), and sporadically humans (Lalošević et al., et al., 2010), Asia (Matayoshi et al., 1996; Bowman et al., 2008), 2008; Di Cesare et al., 2012). Australia (Milstein & Goldsmid, 1997), New Zealand (Langham & Capillaria aerophila has a worldwide distribution and is consid- Charleston, 1990), North Africa (Kohart et al., 2014) and North and ered as the second most common respiratory helminth of do- South America (Echeverry et al., 2012). mestic cats in the Northern Hemisphere after Aelurostrongylus Knowledge of epidemiological data (e.g. range of hosts and geo- * – corresponding author 322 graphic distribution) of C. aerophila in Europe is fragmentary, thus but also have free access from the outside, including nearby parks at the moment it is difficult to assess to what degree this parasite and forests. may be spreading or what influence global warming or other fac- tors may have on the current distribution. Indeed, although climate Clinical examination changes seem to play a key role in the epidemiological variations For each cat, the following information was recorded including for pet heart-worms and lungworms, other possible factors can not vaccination status, clinical difficulties observed by the owner es- be ruled out (Traversa et al., 2010). In Europe, C. aerophila is pecially respiratory symptoms, the duration of symptoms, previ- widely distributed as supported by the published feline case re- ous consultation for the same difficulties, previous treatments, ports in Hungary (Capári et al., 2013; Rehbein et al., 2014), Bel- and the evolution with previous treatments. Each cat was then gium (Thienpoint et al., 1981), France (Elhamiani Khatat et al., submitted to a physical examination which involved auscultation, 2016), Germany (Krone et al., 2008), Serbia (Ilić et al., 2009), and thermometry. Also, we found five cats with serious respiratory Greece (Haralampides, 1978), Italy (Di Cesare et al., 2010; Spada problems who have complete blood cell count, chest x-rays, and et al., 2013), Albania (Knaus et al., 2014), Portugal (Waap et al., only for the one dead cat also cytology from the tracheobronchial 2014), Romania (Mircean et al., 2010), Austria, Bulgaria, Latvia lavage. Necropsy was performed on one deceased cat. After the and Lithuania (Rehbein et al., 2014. Recently, different genetic diagnosis was made and the degree of infection was determined, haplotypes of C. aerophila have been shown to coexist in foxes, antiparasitics were recommended, and owners were advised to martens, cats, and dogs in European countries, confirming a com- treat cats twice at intervals of 21 days. mon pattern of transmission of this parasite between wild animals and pets (Di Cesare et al., 2014). Parasitological examination of the feces In feline medicine, respiratory parasitic infections represent a par- The fecal samples were examined using the standard procedure ticular challenge for clinicians due to a large number of conditions of gravitational flotation with a saturated aqueous solution of NaCl with similar clinical manifestations. Knowledge of the prevalence (specific weight 1,200 at 20°C) and the saturated aqueous solution and clinical expression of the disease in cats such as malaise, of ZnSO4 (specific weight 1,350 at 20°C) (Sloss et al., 1994). Us- cough, sneezing, mucopurulent nasal discharge, and “air hunger” ing light microscopy, C. aerophila barrel-like eggs (length 74,50 ± should encourage the veterinarian to consider pulmonary capillar- 1,50 μm, width 32.45 ± 3.40 μm) were detected, with the asym- iosis in the differential diagnosis of these clinical manifestations metry of bipolar plugs and walls with a network of anastomosing (Traversa et al., 2010). Furthermore, given the prevalence and ridges (Traversa et al., 2011). The microscopical identification of zoonotic potential of C. aerophila, it is recommended to include it other fecal endoparasites (Isospora spp., Toxocara mystax, Toxas­ in the differential diagnosis of cardio-respiratory diseases in dogs caris leonina, Ancylostomatidae) was also performed at the same and cats. time, using qualitative methods of coprological diagnostic with the Therefore, this paper aims to determine the prevalence of C. aer­ concentration of parasitic elements. By way of macroscopic feces ophila infection in cats through the parasitological examination of examination, the proglottids of Dipylidium caninum were found, the feces in the city of Belgrade, Serbia, and its suburban settle- and after mechanical disintegration, the eggs of this cestode mi- ments and to describe the clinical signs and complains associated croscopically were found as well. with this infection. Quantification of the obtained results was made using the McMas- ter method (Kochanowski et al., 2013) and less than 50 eggs/g was Material and Methods diagnosed in the samples. Since the threshold of the method is 50 eggs/g, the degree of infection was determined approximately and Research period and area helminth eggs were calculated according to the semi- quantitative This retrospective study is based on the record protocols of the fecal egg count (FEC) scale (Pittman et al., 2010). Using this University Clinic for Small Animals, and the Department of Par- scale, eggs can be calculated in 5 – 10 g of a fecal sample for asitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade an approximate determination of the three levels of the infection (Serbia) which included all cats that had any respiratory problems degree - low: 1 – 10 (+), medium: 11 – 49 (++) and high: ≥ 50 (+++) in the period 2015 – 2019 (155). The cats enrolled were from the of eggs calculated per a covering). The method semi-quantitative city of Belgrade including its suburban settlements (44°49’NG FEC is based on the principle of the fecal gravitation flotation. It is and 20°27’ IGD). The city covers an area of 322,268 ha, of which necessary to examine the whole fecal suspension in two micro- 35,996 belongs to the inner city area. scopic slides and make the assessment of the egg count after that. Studied population Necropsy in one cat A total of 155 files of pet cats were searched. Out of the total num- During the parasitological dissection of the respiratory tract, the ber of examined cats, 61 were male and 94 female. The cats were trachea was isolated with the larynx until