Serological Detection of Circulating Angiostrongylus vasorum Antigen- and Parasite-Specific Antibodies in Dogs from Poland

Dogs infected with Angiostrongylus vasorum, a potentially lethal parasite living in the heart and pulmonary arteries, may present severe respiratory and neurological sings and coagulopathies. Its occurrence is increasingly reported from various European countries, but little is known about its presence in Poland. In this first large-scale survey, 3,345 sera from polish dogs attending veterinary clinics in different parts of Poland for various reasons were collected and tested by an ELISA for the detection of circulating antigen of A. vasorum and by a separate ELISA detecting specific antibodies. A total of 0.51% (n = 17, 95% Confidence Intervals, CI: 0.30-0.81 %) of the animals were positive in both ELISAs, while 0.78 % (n = 26, CI: 0.51-1.14 %) of the tested dogs were antigen-positive only and 1.29 % (n = 43, CI: 0.93-1.73 %) were positive for specific antibodies only. Regions with antigen- and -antibody-positive animals were overlapping and distributed over the whole area of the country, with approximately one third of positives close to the Baltic Sea, and a limited number of cases close to the German border. These results confirm the occurrence of A. vasorum in dogs originating from different parts of Poland. A. vasorum serology presents significant advantages (diagnosis before patency, single serum sample instead of repeated faecal samples, rapidity and affordability particularly in case of large number of samples), and it can be considered a valid alternative for diagnosis in individuals and in epidemiological studies.