Same parasite, diverging fates: distinct responses of tenrecs to Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection.

Tenrecs (Afrosoricida: Tenrecidae) are insectivorous mammals endemic to Madagascar, currently facing population declines due to habitat loss and subsistence hunting. Emerging infectious diseases, including parasitic infections, may pose additional threats. A comparable situation has been observed in Algerian hedgehogs (Atelerix algirus) in Mallorca, where the invasive nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis has been associated with severe neuropathology. Given ecological parallels and the confirmed presence of A. cantonensis in Madagascar, this study aimed to assess its potential impact on tenrec health and survival. An experimental infection was conducted using Echinops telfairi, orally inoculated with 500 or 2000 third-stage larvae and monitored for 59 days through behavioral observations. Following euthanasia, artificial tissue digestion, qPCR analysis, and histopathology were performed. Baermann's larvoscopy was used to examine feces from day 39 post-infection (DPI). No neuropathological symptoms were observed. Artificial digestion revealed 11 third-stage larvae in the gastrointestinal tract of one high-dose tenrec at 36 DPI. Parasite DNA was detected in various organs of both groups; however, accumulation in brain tissue occurred only in the high-dose group, with no viable larvae visible in histological sections. E. telfairi showed no apparent sensitivity to A. cantonensis, unlike the Algerian hedgehog, which develops severe neuropathology under comparable conditions. These findings suggest that A. cantonensis exhibits host-specific outcomes, and not all mammals act as aberrant hosts facing fatal infection. The persistence of third-stage larvae up to 36 DPI raises concerns about potential transmission to predators or hypothetical human infection.