Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40012029›Full record

ArticleParasites & vectors2025

Living in the city: Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a novel threat to an urban population of Florida burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia floridana) in south Florida.

Håkon Jones, Nicole M Nemeth, Brittany Piersma, Rebecca Hardman, Lisa A Shender, Raoul K Boughton, Kayla B Garrett, Nikole Castleberry, P J Deitschel, Xuan Hui Teo and 3 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Parasites & vectors, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Håkon JonesSoutheastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
Nicole M NemethSoutheastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
Brittany PiersmaSoutheastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
Rebecca HardmanFlorida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, St. Petersburg, FL, 33701, USA.
Lisa A ShenderFlorida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 1105 SW Williston Rd, Gainesville, FL, 32601, USA.
Raoul K BoughtonThe Mosaic Company, 414 W Main St, Wauchula, FL, 33873, USA.
Kayla B GarrettSoutheastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
Nikole CastleberrySoutheastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
P J DeitschelConservancy of Southwest Florida, 1495 Smith Preserve Way, Naples, FL, 34102, USA.
Xuan Hui TeoSoutheastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
Rebecca RadisicSoutheastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
Martha Frances DaltonSoutheastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
Michael J YabsleySoutheastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA. myabsley@uga.edu.

Funding

Comparative Medical Science Training ProgramT32OD011147 · OD · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · PI JEROEN SAEIJ, Sara Michelle Thomasy · 2012 to 2026
$5.5M
NIH HHS T32 OD011147
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAngiostrongylus cantonensis, the rat lungworm, is a metastrongyloid parasite that uses rodents as definitive hosts, mollusks as intermediate hosts, and a wide range of invertebrate and vertebrate species as paratenic hosts. Although this parasite poses a significant public health concern in many regions of the world, it can also cause disease in numerous domestic and wildlife aberrant host species. When parasite larvae are ingested by one of these aberrant hosts, larval migration in the central nervous system causes extensive damage, resulting in spinal cord and/or brain damage and inflammation, leading to potentially fatal neurological disease. We describe A. cantonensis infection in a novel host, the Florida burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia floridana), on Marco Island, Collier County, Florida, USA. The Florida burrowing owl is a state-listed species that has experienced steep population declines across its range, primarily due to habitat loss and fragmentation. Many populations are now restricted to urban environments, which pose novel threats to the owls, such as exposure to anticoagulant rodenticides and novel pathogens, increased risk of predation, vehicular strike, and increased disturbance at nest sites.

methodsThrough diagnostic evaluation of carcasses and select tissues submitted to the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study from 2019 to 2023, we diagnosed nine confirmed or suspected cases of angiostrongylosis on Marco Island.

resultsMicroscopic examination and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing confirmed parasite identification. In addition, ancillary testing ruled out other potential causes of neurological disease, such as rodenticides, West Nile virus, and highly pathogenic avian influenza virus.

conclusionsThis study underscores the importance of surveillance and monitoring efforts for A. cantonensis, particularly in regions where novel hosts may serve as indicators of public health risk. In addition, as urbanization and habitat fragmentation continue encroaching upon wildlife habitats, understanding the dynamics of host-parasite interactions becomes crucial for mitigating the spread of zoonotic diseases.

Indexed as

Angiostrongylus cantonensisBird DiseasesStrigiformesStrongylida InfectionsAnimalsCitiesFemaleFloridaUrban PopulationAngiostrongylus cantonensisAthene cuniculariaBurrowing owlFloridaNeurologicParasiteRat lungwormWildlife health

Identifiers

PMID40012029
PMCPMC11866900

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.