Identification and epidemiological analysis of Perostrongylus falciformis infestation in Irish badgers

Abstract

Background: The lungworm, Perostrongylus falciformis (fomerly known as Aelurostrongylus falciformis) has been identified in badgers (Meles meles) in Britain, the Russian Federation, Italy, Norway, Poland, Ukraine, Bosnia Herzegovina and Romania, while Aelurostrongylus pridhami has been reported from badgers in Spain. Results: Pulmonary tissue from 1580 Irish badgers was examined and an estimated prevalence of 32.09% (95% CI: 29.79–34.45%) of this parasite was detected. Confirmation of its occurrence was made by PCR analysis on a subset of the population. Conclusion: Infestation was widely distributed throughout the Republic of Ireland, with a trend towards higher infestation risk in western versus eastern counties. In addition males were at a higher risk of infestation than females and juveniles were at a significantly higher risk than adult badgers.

Description

Publication history: Accepted - 24 June 2019; Published Online - 9 July 2019

Keywords

: Badger, Meles meles, Lungworm, Perostrongylus falciformis, Ireland

Citation

OC. Byrne, J., Byrne, A. W., Zintl, A., Jankowska, K., Coulange, E., de Waal, T., McCarthy, G., O’Keeffe, J., Hamnes, I. S. and Fogarty, U. (2019) ‘Identification and epidemiological analysis of Perostrongylus falciformis infestation in Irish badgers’, Irish Veterinary Journal. Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 72(1). doi: 10.1186/s13620-019-0144-6.

DOI

Collections