An Investigation into the Longevity of First Stage Larvae of Aelurostrongylus abstrusus

Abstract

After five to six weeks, and for a varying period thereafter, cats infested with Aelurostrongylus abstrusus evacuate first stage larvae in their faeces. Hobmaier and Hobmaier (1935), Blaisdell (1952) and MacKerras (1957) collected larvae for eight weeks, two years and seven months, respectively, after patency. Cameron (1927) found that larvae, extracted from faeces, lived for 11 days but were killed by freezing. Since the fate of such larvae is of importance with regard to the incidence of lungworm disease in the cat and because of the divergence of opinion concerning the viability of first stage larvae, it was considered necessary to establish the life-span of such larvae under various controlled conditions.