From 61 settlements of 12 Hungarian counties, 303 domestic cats were included in this
survey. Between autumn 2016 and spring 2018, fresh faecal samples were randomly collected
and examined by flotation and by the Baermann–Wetzel method for the presence of lungworm
infection. No eggs of Eucoleus aerophilus were detected. Morphological identification
of first instar larvae (L1) was also carried out. In the faeces of 60 cats (19.8%)
from 17 settlements and Budapest, L1 of Aelurostrongylus abstrusus were found. More
than half of the cats were from the western part of the country. The average number
of larvae per gram of faeces was 190.2 ± 304.88. These results are in line with the
former findings on the prevalence of aelurostrongylosis of domestic cats in Hungary.
In addition, Oslerus rostratus was also found for the first time in the faecal samples
of three cats from the eastern part of the country, infected also with Ae. abstrusus.
The average age (2.51 ± 1.26 years) of infected cats indicates that lungworm infection
is more common among younger cats. No relationship was found between the lung-worm
infection and the sex of cats. Non-neutered cats had a significantly higher proportion
of lungworm infections. Two-thirds of the infected cats were apparently healthy, and
only 19 individuals showed clinical signs of respiratory disorders.
