Aelurostrongylus abstrusus

The Aelurostrongylus abstrusus belongs to the most common types of lung worms in cats. They are found on all continents. In cats in Germany and Denmark, the parasite was found in a recent study, 5.6% of the animals.

Life cycle

The adults are between 7 ( male ) and 10 mm (female ) long. The adult animals live buried deep in the lungs of the host animal. The eggs are (alveoli ) placed in the pulmonary alveoli, where the larvae hatch in the first stage. Then they migrate upward, where they get swallowed into the digestive tract and are excreted.

The larva can survive for about 2 weeks and need to find a snail as an intermediate host. These become infected when they run over a larva, as they can then penetrate her foot. In the worm, the larva develops after about 12 days to stage 2 and after 18 days for the third stage.

The infected snail now has to be eaten by a bird, a lizard or mouse, etc.. The larvae then embed themselves in the transport host. If the new host now eaten by a cat, the larvae migrate within 24 hours from the stomach through the abdominal cavity into the lungs. After about one month, then larvae found in the feces.

Symptoms, diagnosis and combating

→ Main article: Aelurostrongylose

The lung worm infestation calls in cats rarely show symptoms. The symptoms of massive infestation are very non-specific. There is a general weakness, chronic cough, nasal and ocular discharge. The diagnosis is made on a chest X-ray and a Baermann - Wetzel test. The fight takes place by anthelmintics such as fenbendazole, emodepside or ivermectin.