Crenosoma vulpis and the domestic dog: A study of prevalence on Prince Edward Island and of new diagnostic approaches

Crenosoma vulpis is a metastrongyloid lung parasite which infects the bronchioles, bronchi, and trachea of wild and domestic canids and other carnivores. The infection cannot be diagnosed with standard fecal flotation examinations carried out at most veterinary clinics. Clinical signs of C. vulpis infection include chronic cough, wheezing, and decreased quality of life and closely mimic signs of canine allergic respiratory disease, which appears to be relatively common in dogs in the Atlantic Canadian region. Suspicions that the infection may have been previously misdiagnosed led to a study to determine the impact of C. vulpis infection on dogs on Prince Edward Island. The first objective was to determine the estimated prevalence of C. vulpis infection in PEI dogs. The second objective was to determine the proportion of PEI dogs infected with C. vulpis among those with clinical signs such as chronic cough. The third objective of the study consisted of developing a more sensitive diagnostic test, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), for the detection of antibodies to C. vulpis antigens in serum. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).