A cross‐sectional study of Angiostrongylus malaysiensis in rats and gastropod hosts from recreational parks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Detection, risk factors and pathology

• Published in: Zoonoses and Public Health
• Main Authors: Low, Suey Yee, Lau, Seng Fong, Ahmad, Nur Indah, Sharma, Reuben Sunil Kumar, Rosli, Muhammad Zahin, Mohd‐Taib, Farah Shafawati, Ajat, Mohd Mokrish Md., Kamaludeen, Juriah, Syed Hussain, Sharifah Salmah, Wan, Kiew‐Lian, Salleh, Annas, Aziz, Nor Azlina Abdul
• Other Authors: Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2023
• Subjects: Infectious Diseases; Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health; General Veterinary; General Immunology and Microbiology; Epidemiology; Rattus rattus
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/zph.13072; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/zph.13072

Abstract Angiostrongylus malaysiensis is a potential zoonotic parasite, which reported to co‐occur with A. cantonensis in human cerebrospinal fluid. It is a heteroxenous nematode that primarily develops through the early larval stages in gastropods and attains sexual maturity within rats. This study was conducted to determine the host species responsible for the reservoir of A. malaysiensis and investigate the risk factor for transmission among the hosts in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Sampling was conducted in six recreational parks. The rats were trapped alive using steel wire traps with bait, while the gastropods were collected by active searching. The rats were euthanized and dissected to collect any adult worms observed. The molecular detection of A. malaysiensis was performed by PCR on gastropod tissue samples. Biotic and landscape factors were recorded for risk factor analysis. In total, 82 rats and 330 gastropods were collected throughout the study. Overall, 3.64% of gastropods and 32.9% of rats were infected with A. malaysiensis . Rattus tiomanicus (Malayan wood rat) and Parmarion martensi (Yellow‐shelled semi‐slug) were found as important hosts for A. malaysiensis . Host species, sampling site and macrohabitat type are risk factors associated with the prevalence of A. malaysiensis infection in rats. For gastropods, host species and sampling site are risk factors that correlate with the parasite detection. In total, 128 adult A. malaysiensis were recovered from the infected rats. The mean intensity of infection with adult A. malaysiensis was 4.65 for Rattus rattus complex and 4.90 for R. tiomanicus . Adult worms were found in the pulmonary artery or right ventricle, while eggs and first‐stage larvae were found in capillaries of the caudal lung lobe. Infected lungs showed extravasated red blood cells in the alveolar spaces. The pulmonary arteries in the infected lung lobe were thickened. Kepong Metropolitan Park is the hotspot area for A. malaysiensis in Kuala Lumpur. These results provide essential ...