Veterinary Parasitology 192 (2013) 158–165 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Veterinary Parasitology jou rn al h om epa ge: www.elsevier.com/locate/vetpar Tawny frogmouths and brushtail possums as sentinels for Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the rat lungworm Gemma Ma a , Michelle Dennis b , Karrie Rose c , David Spratt d , Derek Spielman e,* a RSPCA NSW, 201 Rookwood Road, Yagoona, NSW 2199, Australia b QML Pathology Vetnostics Service, PO Box 2280, Mansfield, Qld 4122, Australia c Australian Registry of Wildlife Health, Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Bradley’s Head Road, Mosman, NSW 2088, Australia d CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Clunies Ross Street, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia e Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Camperdown 2006, Australia a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 26 June 2012 Received in revised form 4 November 2012 Accepted 6 November 2012 Keywords: Angiostrongylosis Angiostrongylus cantonensis Podargus strigoides Trichosurus vulpecula a b s t r a c t The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of angiostrongylosis in tawny frogmouths (Podargus strigoides) and brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) with signs of neurological disease, and to describe the clinicopathological features of angiostrongy- losis in both species. Tawny frogmouths and brushtail possums with signs of neurological disease were sampled from the Sydney metropolitan area between October 1998 and June 2010. Samples from 100 tawny frogmouths and 31 brushtail possums from the Australian Registry of Wildlife Health (ARWH), the Wildlife Assistance and Information Foundation (WAIF) and Wildlife Health and Conservation Centre (WHCC), University of Sydney were examined. Histological examinations of the brain, spinal cord and other available tissues were used to characterize the disease responsible for each animal’s clinical signs. Of the 100 tawny frogmouths with neurological disease examined, angiostrongylosis was considered responsible in 80 (80%), traumatic injury in 17 (17%), protozoal infection in 3 (3%) and other diseases in 2 (2%) and the cause of clinical signs was unknown in 10 (10%). Eleven tawny frogmouths presenting with neurological signs associated with head trauma had concur- rent angiostrongylosis. Of the 31 brushtail possums, Wobbly Possum Syndrome (WPS) was diagnosed in 21 (68%), angiostrongylosis in 4 (13%) and other diseases in the remaining 6 (19%). Angiostrongylosis was overrepresented in hand reared juvenile possums. Cases of angiostrongylosis in tawny frogmouths followed a strong seasonal pattern peaking through late summer and autumn. The results confirm that Angiostrongylus cantonensis is endemic in Sydney, Australia and that tawny frogmouths could be important sentinels for this zoonotic parasite. Crown Copyright © 2012 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the rat lungworm, is a metastrongyloid nematode the lifecycle of which was elu- cidated in Brisbane by Mackerras and Sandars (1955) and Bhaibulaya (1975). Adult worms reside in the pulmonary * Corresponding author. Tel.: +61 2 9351 7170; fax: +61 2 9351 7421. E-mail address: derek.spielman@sydney.edu.au (D. Spielman). arteries and right ventricle of the definitive host. While many species of rats including those endemic to Australia can carry patent infections, the Norway rat (Rattus norvegi- cus) and the black rat (Rattus rattus) are considered the most important definitive hosts and vectors of the dis- ease (Prociv et al., 2000). Eggs released by mated female nematodes embolize in pulmonary capillaries and larvae migrate up the trachea to be swallowed and shed in the rat’s feces. Intermediate hosts including various species of mol- lusk are infected by ingesting first stage larvae in rat feces. 0304-4017/$ – see front matter. Crown Copyright © 2012 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2012.11.009