Occurrence of larvae of Metastrongyloidea in feaces of cats from southeastern Poland

Faecal samples from 716 cats from Poland, were examined for lungworm larvae (Metastrongyloidea) by flotation, sedimentation and Baermann techniques between January 2016 and April 2019 year. In total, 1.1% (8/716; CI +/- 95%0.3-1.9) of cats shed lungworm larvae. In the animals examined, infections with Aelurostrongylus abstrusus predominated (7 positive samples), while larvae of Troglostrongylus brevior were detected in only one sample. These invasions were more prevalent in animals under 6 months of age (3.0%) (6/201; CI +/- 95%; 0.6-5.4) than in those older than one year (0.4%) (2/515; CI +/- 95% 0.0-0.9). Overall, a distinct seasonal pattern was apparent in the detection of infected cats, but annual volatility was not observed. A relatively large proportion of lungworm-infected cats (4 out of 8) had pulmonary syndromes, which indicates that these parasitic diseases should be considered in differential diagnosis of any inflammations of the respiratory system, especially in young animals.