Pneumonia by Aelurostrongylus abstrusus in a Leopardus tigrinus: Case study

Authors

  • Diego F Rincón-Alarcón Universidad Nacional de Colombia
  • Benjamín Doncel Universidad Nacional de Colombia
  • Jesús A Cortés-Vecino Universidad Nacional de Colombia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.rccp.v35n4a04

Keywords:

Aelurostrongylus abstrusus, Leopardus tigrinus, little spotted cat, little tiger cat, lung, lungworm, lung parasitism, multiparasitism, nematode, oncilla, parasites, pneumonia, wildlife

Abstract

Anamnesis: A polytraumatized wild oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus) was admitted to the Unidad de Rehabilitación y Rescate de Animales Silvestres (URRAS) veterinary clinic of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Despite the medical efforts, the animal died six hours later. Clinical and laboratory findings: Necropsy examination revealed multiple white nodules of about 2 mm in diameter distributed on the visceral surface of lung caudal lobes. Histopathology revealed lymphoplasmacytic interstitial pneumonia with multiple coiled larvae of metastrongyloid nematodes in alveoli and bronchioles. First-stage Aelurostrongylus abstrusus nematode was identified in a fecal sample using the Ritchie copromicroscopic technique. Conclusion: This study reports an incidental severe pulmonary parasitism caused by A. abstrusus in a wild Oncilla (L. tigrinus). This is the first report of A. abstrusus infection associated with pathological lesions in a L. tigrinus from Colombia.

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Author Biographies

Diego F Rincón-Alarcón, Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogotá, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y de Zootecnia, Laboratorio de Patología Veterinaria, Carrera 30 N°. 45-03, Edificio 502, Código postal 11001, Bogotá, Colombia
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6471-1077

Benjamín Doncel, Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogotá, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y de Zootecnia, Laboratorio de Patología Veterinaria, Carrera 30 N°. 45-03, Edificio 502, Código postal 11001, Bogotá, Colombia
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0921-1077

Jesús A Cortés-Vecino, Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Laboratorio de Parasitología Veterinaria, Departamento de Salud Animal, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y de Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional de Colombia-Sede Bogotá, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2641-604X

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Published

2022-02-16 — Updated on 2024-09-23

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How to Cite

Rincón-Alarcón, D. F., Doncel, B., & Cortés-Vecino, J. A. (2024). Pneumonia by Aelurostrongylus abstrusus in a Leopardus tigrinus: Case study. Revista Colombiana De Ciencias Pecuarias, 36(1), 13–21. https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.rccp.v35n4a04 (Original work published February 16, 2022)

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Original research articles