Identification and epidemiological analysis of Perostrongylus falciformis infestation in Irish badgers

The lungworm, Perostrongylus (fomerly known as ) has been identified in badgers ( ) in Britain, the Russian Federation, Italy, Norway, Poland, Ukraine, Bosnia Herzegovina and Romania, while has been reported from badgers in Spain. Pulmonary tissue from 1580 Irish badgers was examined and an estimated prevalence of 32.09% (95% CI: 29.79-34.45%) of this parasite was detected. Confirmation of its occurrence was made by PCR analysis on a subset of the population. Infestation was widely distributed throughout the Republic of Ireland, with a trend towards higher infestation risk in western versus eastern counties. In addition males were at a higher risk of infestation than females and juveniles were at a significantly higher risk than adult badgers.