Case series of angiostrongyliasis in captive wildlife from a zoologic facility in Texas, USA, from 2019 to 2024

This case series examined five cases of accidental hosts in which the rat lungworm, Angiostrongylus cantonensis (Strongylida: Metastrongyloidea), a parasitic nematode of public health importance, was detected at a zoologic facility in Houston, TX. Originally from Asia, the parasite has been introduced to all inhabited continents along with its rodent hosts, including the Americas. In addition to rats and humans, various vertebrate species may acquire infection, leading to neurological disease and even death, most commonly in nonhuman primates (NHP). After confirmed A. cantonensis cases in rats and NHP from the zoologic facility in Houston, TX, past and recent cases in which animals displayed a variety of vague to distinct neurologic abnormalities or died acutely without antemortem signs were investigated (2019–2024). Integrated diagnostic approaches, including gross postmortem examination, histopathology of selected tissues, and molecular analysis, were used to confirm infections. The investigations detected A. cantonensis in two NHP, a cotton-top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus) and a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes); two rodents, a capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) and a Patagonian mara (Dolichotis patagonum); and a coscoroba swan (Coscoroba coscoroba). These multiple cases further support the establishment of the parasite life cycle within this facility and provide novel host species in which A. cantonensis had not previously been reported, namely, the chimpanzee (P. troglodytes), capybara (H. hydrochaeris), Patagonian mara (D. patagonum), and coscoroba swan (C. coscoroba). Measures to disrupt the parasite life cycle were implemented and focused primarily on rodent pest control. In addition to veterinary and public health relevance, A. cantonensis should also be considered a threat to wildlife health, conservation, and global biodiversity.