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Cardiopulmonary nematodes of dogs and cats cause parasitic diseases of central relevance in current veterinary practice. In the recent past the distribution of canine and feline heartworms and lungworms has increased in various geographical areas, including Europe. This is true especially for the metastrongyloids Aelurostrongylus abstrusus, Angiostrongylus vasorum and Crenosoma vulpis, the filarioid Dirofilaria immitis and the trichuroid Eucoleus aerophilus (syn. Capillaria aerophila). The reasons of this emergence are little known but many drivers such as global warming, changes in vector epidemiology and movements in animal populations, may be taken into account. The purpose of this article is to review the knowledge of the most important heartworm and lungworm infections of dogs and cats in Europe. In particular recent advances in epidemiology, clinical and control are described and discussed.

Background Metastrongyloid parasites Angiostrongylus vasorum and Crenosoma vulpis infect wild and domestic canids and are important pathogens in dogs. Recent studies indicate that gastropod intermediate hosts infected with various metastrongyloids spontaneously shed infective third-stage larvae (L3) into the environment via feces and mucus under laboratory conditions. Shed L3 retain motility up to 120 days, but whether they retain infectivity was unknown. Methods To assess the infectivity of shed L3, the heart/lungs of six red foxes ( Vulpes vulpes ) were obtained from trappers in Newfoundland, Canada. Lungs were examined for first-stage larvae (L1) by the Baermann technique. A high number of viable A. vasorum L1 and a low number of C. vulpis L1 were recovered from one fox; these were used to infect naïve laboratory-raised Limax maximus . L3 recovered from slugs by artificial digestion were fed to two naïve purpose-bred research beagles (100 L3/dog). L1 shed by these two dogs was used to infect 546 L. maximus (2000–10,000 L1/slug). L3 shedding was induced by anesthetizing slugs in soda water and transferring them into warm (45 °C) tap water for at least 8 h. Shed L3 recovered from slugs were aliquoted on romaine lettuce in six-well tissue culture plates (80–500 L3/well) and stored at 16 °C/75% relative humidity. Four naïve research beagles were then exposed to 100 L3/dog from larvae stored for 0, 2, 4, or 8 weeks, respectively, after shedding. Results All four dogs began shedding C. vulpis L1 by 26–36 days post-infection (PI). All four dogs began shedding A. vasorum L1 by 50 days PI. Conclusions L3 infectivity for the definitive host was retained in both metastrongyloids, indicating the potential for natural infection in dogs through exposure from environmental contamination. As an additional exposure route, eating or licking plant or other material(s) contaminated with metastrongyloid L3 could dramatically increase the number of dogs at risk of infection from these parasites. Graphical Abstract

Background In Canada, surveys of enteric parasites in dogs and cats have been reported sporadically over the past 40 years, mostly focusing on a specific region. The present work was performed to determine the current prevalence of various parasites in fecal samples from shelter dogs and cats across the Canadian provinces. Methods A total of 1086 dog and 636 cat fecal samples from 26 shelters were analysed using a sugar solution double centrifugal flotation technique. Prevalences (national, regional, provincial, age and parasite-specific), were calculated and compared using the Fisher-Exact test. A multiplex PCR was performed to distinguish Taenia spp, Echinococcus granulosus and E. multilocularis on samples positive for taeniid eggs. Results Overall, 33.9% of dogs and 31.8% of cats were positive for at least one parasite. Toxocara canis and T. cati were the most prevalent parasite present in fecal samples followed by Cystoisospora spp. Prevalence in dogs was similar across the Atlantic, East, West and Pacific regions, while prevalence in cats varied regionally. Eggs of E. granulosus/E. canadensis were detected in samples from dogs from BC, AB, and ON. Conclusions Data from this study will help in the development of strategies, based on the level of risk per geographic location for the prevention and response to these parasites in pets and free-roaming and shelter animals in Canada.

Crenosoma vulpis, the fox lungworm, is a nematode parasite of wild and domestic canids belonging to the super-family Metastrongyloidea. A survey of infection was carried out examining 88 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) obtained during the regular hunting season (2014–2015) from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Carcasses were stored frozen (− 21 °C) prior to necropsy. Lungs were examined for the presence of adult worms by dissection of the trachea, bronchi, and bronchioles, and then the lung tissue was examined for first-stage larvae (L1) by the Baermann method. No adult stages were detected, but L1, identified based on morphology as Crenosoma vulpis, were recovered from 28.4% (25/88) of the fox lungs. No significant differences in infection were found based on sex or geographical distribution. A brief review on C. vulpis report in red foxes in Italy and other European countries was also carried out.

A new species of trichosomoidid nematode, Huffmanela canadensis n. sp., is described from the skin of rockfish (Sebastes spp.) from the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Vancouver Island (Clayoquot Sound region), British Columbia, Canada, on the basis of the morphology of the adult worms and their eggs in the host's tissue and the biological characters. The species is characterized mainly by the shape and structure of the fully developed eggs (absence of surface envelope, surface with transverse ridges), by their small size (48–63 × 24–27 μm), and by the site of infection (skin). Besides Huffmanela huffmani, this is the second Huffmanela species in which adult worms are known in addition to the eggs from the host's tissues (most Huffmanela spp. have been described only from their conspicuous eggs occurring in various tissues of fishes). Adults of H. canadensis differ morphologically from those of H. huffmani, mainly in the structure of the male caudal end and in the distinctly elevated anterior vulvar lip of the female.

Pulmonary capillariasis is a parasitic disease caused by the nematode Eucoleus aerophilus which affects wild and domestic carnivores. Currently, there are no anthelmintics approved for use in the treatment of dogs infected with E. aerophilus. The use of several anthelmintics has been reported in a few case reports and field efficacy studies in cats; much less is known on the treatment of dogs infected with E. aerophilus. The paper describes a case of a 4-month-old, mixed breed intact male referred to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) of the Department of Veterinary Medical Science of the University of Bologna for a routine vaccination and tested positive for E. aerophilus. The dog has not been responding to three different administered treatments, such as moxidectin, fenbendazole, and milbemycin oxime. Eighteen months after the first fecal examination, owner has brought in the dog for a routine visit; a coprological examination was requested and performed resulting negative for parasites. Veterinary practitioners, parasitologists, diagnostic laboratories, and dog owners need to be aware of the increased danger of possible treatment failure when attempting to control parasitic infections for which there are no approved anthelmintics with established efficacies available for use.

In recent years the field of organic semiconducting materials has seen rapid growth and development, with keen interest from both industrial and academic research. In the early stages of development, much of the performance improvements were due to increasingly complex device fabrication and processing methods. Research focused greatly on improving known semiconducting materials such as PPV, PT or PAC. Whilst these materials formed a strong foundation for early research, recent findings suggest that they do not possess the optimum chemical properties in order to achieve ultra-high efficiency devices. As such many research groups are now focusing efforts to develop sophisticated building blocks for incorporation into conjugated macromolecules and polymers. In order for these building blocks to find use as electronic materials, it is important to understand the intrinsic properties of each component and use these to derive effective structure-property relationships for use as tools in creating materials which are tailored to a particular role. Chapter 1 includes a summarized description of band theory and the underlying physics of organic semiconducting materials, followed by a discussion of the recent technologies within the field, in particular donor-acceptor type macromolecules and polymers and their related device structures. Chapters 2, 3 and 4 then present novel 4,8-benzobisthiazole (BBT) containing analogues and their incorporation into functional electronic devices. Chapter 2 discusses the synthesis and functionalization of the unit BBT, and development of an orthogonal conjugation pathway. The effect of non-covalent heteroatom interactions - utilized to induce molecular planarity - are then discussed. Building on from Chapter 2, Chapter 3 discusses the synthesis, characterization and device applications of highly-planarised, 4,8-BBT containing polymeric materials. Furthermore, Chapter 4 discusses the synthesis, characterization and device applications of 4,8-BBT containing, donor-acceptor polymers synthesised analogously to that of literature 2,6-BBT polymers. Comparison of physical and electrochemical properties, as well as device performance has been conducted and utilised to confirm the beneficial characteristics of the 4,8-orientation vs. the traditional 2,6-substitution.

Crenosoma vulpis is a metastrongylid lungworm of canids causing chronic respiratory disease in dogs in parts of North America and Europe. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of imidacloprid 10% + moxidectin 2.5% (Advantage Multi®/Advocate® Topical Solution) against C. vulpis infection in experimentally infected dogs. Eighteen beagles (9 M, 9 F) were each given 100 infective third-stage larvae of C. vulpis. The 16 dogs (8 M, 8 F) with the highest faecal larval counts were stratified by gender and larval counts and randomly assigned to a treatment group. Group 1 received placebo only; group 2 was given a single topical treatment of Advantage Multi®/Advocate® (10 mg/kg imidacloprid/2.5 mg/kg moxidectin) at 4 weeks PI. Dogs were euthanised at 8 weeks PI and the lungs were removed and examined for the presence of adult worms by lung flush. The mean (geometric) number for adult C. vulpis recovered in untreated dogs was 70.0 (range 58 to 87) compared with 0.0 in animals treated with Advantage Multi®/Advocate®. The resulting efficacy against C. vulpis was 100%. The number of C. vulpis was significantly lower for treated dogs than the burden shown in the untreated group (p = 0.003).

A male and female silver fox (Vulpes vulpes) were diagnosed with naturally acquired infections of the lungworm Crenosoma vulpis at the Cherry Brook Zoo in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada. The main clinical sign was a chronic cough. Crenosomiasis was diagnosed by fecal examination using the Baermann technique. The foxes were treated with a subcutaneous injection of ivermectin (200 μg/kg). Clinical signs resolved, and fecal exams were negative at 3 and 6 wk posttreatment. No adverse reactions to the drug were observed. This is the first reported use of ivermectin against C. vulpis infection in canids. Due to the small number of animals involved and the absence of posttreatment necropsy/worm recovery data, this indication of efficacy must be viewed as circumstantial until further testing.