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Background  The metastrongyloid nematodes  Aelurostrongylus abstrusus ,  Troglostrongylus brevior  and  Angiostrongylus chabaudi  are cardiopulmonary parasites affecting domestic cats ( Felis catus ) and wildcats ( Felis silvestris ). Although knowledge on these nematodes has been improved in the past years, gaps in our knowledge of their distribution and role of gastropods as intermediate hosts in Europe still exist. This study reports on the presence of these nematodes and their intermediate hosts in an area in Greece where domestic cats and wildcats occur in sympatry.    Methods  Terrestrial gastropods were collected in the field and identified morphologically and by mitochondrial DNA-sequence analysis. Metastrongyloid larvae were detected by artificial digestion, morphologically identified to the species and stage level and their identity was molecularly confirmed.    Results   Aelurostrongylus abstrusus  was found in the snails  Massylaea vermiculata  and  Helix lucorum ,  T. brevior  in the slug  Tandonia  sp., and  A. chabaudi  in the slug  Limax  sp. and the snails  H. lucorum  and  M. vermiculata.Conclusions  To the best of our knowledge this study provides the first reports of (i) terrestrial gastropods being naturally infected with  A. chabaudi , (ii)  T. brevior  naturally infecting terrestrial gastropods in Europe, and (iii)  A. abstrusus  naturally infecting terrestrial gastropods in Greece. Furthermore, the present study describes for the first time developmental stages of  A. chabaudi  and  T. brevior  in naturally infected gastropods. The biological characteristics of various intermediate gastropod hosts that could influence the distribution and expansion of feline cardiopulmonary nematodes are discussed, along with epizootiological implications and perspectives.

Intermediate gastropod hosts of major feline cardiopulmonary nematodes in an area of wildcat and domestic cat sympatry in Greece