Angiostrongylus vasorum in Romania: an extensive survey in red foxes, Vulpes vulpes

Background: Angiostrongylus vasorum is the causative agent of canine angiostrongylosis, a severe snail-borne disease of dogs. Red foxes are important natural reservoirs of infection, and surveys of foxes provide a more objective picture of the parasite distribution. Our aim was to investigate the possibility of the presence of A. vasorum in red foxes from the western part of Romania and to analyse the risk factors related to the sex, age and geographic origin of the foxes. Between July 2016 and April 2017, 567 hunted red foxes from 10 counties of western Romania were examined by necropsy for the presence of lungworms. Results: Overall, the infection with A. vasorum has been found in 24 red foxes (4.2%) originating in four counties (Mures, Hunedoara, Salaj and Cluj). There was no significant difference between the prevalence in males and females, between juveniles and adults and between counties. Conclusions: This is the first report of autochthonous infections of A. vasorum in Romania, showing a relatively low prevalence and extending eastwards the known distributional range of this parasite in Europe. The presence of autochthonous cases in domestic dogs in Romania remains to be confirmed by further studies.