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The occurrence of Angiostrongylus vasorum in terrestrial slugs from forests and parks in the Copenhagen area, Denmark

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 May 2009

T. Ferdushy*
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Ecology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Khulshi, Chittagong4202, Bangladesh
C.M.O. Kapel
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Ecology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
P. Webster
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
M.N.S. Al-Sabi
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Ecology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
J. Grønvold
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Ecology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
*
*Fax: +45 3533 2774 E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

A total of 298 slugs belonging to four species, Arion lusitanicus, A. ater, A. ater rufus and Limax maximus, were collected from six different localities within a radius of 30 km from Copenhagen and examined for naturally acquired Angiostrongylus vasorum infection. Overall, 28 slugs (9%) were infected, but the prevalence varied among the studied localities: Rude Forest (26%), West Amager Forest (18%), Jaegersborg Forest and Deer Park (8%), Frederiksberg Park (4%), Assistens Cemetery Park (0%) and Frederiksberg Botanical Garden (0%). Only third-stage larvae (L3) were recovered from the slugs, in numbers ranging from 1 to 392 per slug. Overall 82% of the infected slugs harboured fewer than 10 larvae and only 14% harboured over 100 larvae.

Type
Research Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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