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Volume 32, Number 2—February 2026

Dispatch

Autochthonous Rat Lungworm Angiostrongylus cantonensis Infections in Accidental and Definitive Hosts, San Diego, California, USA

Shotaro NakagunComments to Author , Carlo G. Gonzalez Vera, Alexis Wohl, Deana L. Clifford, Garrett A. Fraess, Jordyn R. Nylander, Estefanía Montero, Javier Asin, Steven V. Kubiski, and Rachel E. Burns
Author affiliation: Author affiliations: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, San Diego, California, USA (S. Nakagun, C.G. Gonzalez Vera, G.A. Fraess, J.R. Nylander, S.V. Kubiski, R.E. Burns); San Diego Humane Society’s Project Wildlife, San Diego (A. Wohl); California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Rancho Cordova, California, USA (D.L. Clifford); Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU Universities, Valencia, Spain (E. Montero); California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory, University of California, Davis, San Bernardino, California, USA (J. Asin)

Main Article

Table

Clinical and molecular information for animals with autochthonous rat lungworm Angiostrongylus cantonensis infections, San Diego, California, USA, 2023–2025*

Case ID Species Sex Age class Death date GenBank accession no.
COI 28S rRNA 18S rRNA
1 Parma wallaby M Adult 2024 Dec 17 PX623034 PX623182 PV933159
2 Roof rat F Adult 2025 Feb 3 PX623032 PX623180 PV933160
3 Roof rat M Adult 2025 Feb 5 PX623033 PX623181 PV933161
4 Virginia opossum M Juvenile 2023 Aug 27 PX623045 PX623179 NT
5 Virginia opossum M Juvenile 2025 Jun 27 PX623044 PX623178 NT
6 Virginia opossum F Juvenile 2025 Aug 15 NA† PX663655 NT
7 Virginia opossum F Juvenile 2025 Sep 6 NA† NA† NT
8 Virginia opossum M Juvenile 2025 Sep 7 Partial‡ PX623200 NT
9 Virginia opossum M Juvenile 2025 Sep 7 Partial‡ PX663656 NT
10 Virginia opossum M Juvenile 2025 Sep 12 NA† PX623201 NT

*ID, identification; COI, cytochrome C oxidase subunit I gene; NA, no amplification; NT, not tested. †Lack of specific amplification after multiple PCR and sequencing attempts was attributed to the sample type (formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissue). ‡Obtained partial sequences were too short to be deposited in GenBank.

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Page created: January 29, 2026
Page updated: February 19, 2026
Page reviewed: February 19, 2026
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