Autochthonous Angiostrongylus cantonensis Lungworms in Urban Rats, Valencia, Spain, 2021

To determine the role of rats as potential reservoirs of zoonotic parasites, we examined rats trapped in urban sewers of Valencia, Spain, in 2021. Morphologic and molecular identification and sequencing identified autochthonous Angiostrongylus cantonensis nematodes, the most common cause of human eosinophilic meningitis, in pulmonary arteries of Rattus norvegicus and R. rattus rats.

Automated summary

This study examined rats trapped in urban sewers of Valencia, Spain in 2021 to determine their role as potential reservoirs of zoonotic parasites. Morphological and molecular identification and sequencing revealed the presence of autochthonous Angiostrongylus cantonensis nematodes, a common cause of human eosinophilic meningitis, in the pulmonary arteries of Rattus norvegicus and R. rattus rats.