Aelurostrongylus abstrusus (cat lungworm) infection in five cats from Italy

Infection by the cat lungworm Aelurostrongylus abstrusus is considered uncommon. Here, the authors report the clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic features of five infections recently observed in Italy. All cats were under 12 months of age. All except one cat had symptomatic infections, with cough, dyspnea, and weight loss with radiographic signs of broncopneumonia. All cats were eosinophilic. Larvae were present in fresh fecal smears and on flotation exam in all cats. Baermann larval recovery permitted definitive identification and, in one case, larvae per gram of feces (lpg) counts. One dose of ivermectin (400 microg/kg) was not effective in one cat, while one dose of selamectin (6 mg/kg) was effective in one of three cases and fenbendazole at 50 mg/kg given daily for 15 days was effective in four of four cases.