The rat lungworm Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a zoonotic metastrongyloid nematode currently considered an emerging pathogen. Originating in Southeast Asia, this nematode has spread to tropical and subtropical parts of the world via its invasive rodent and gastropod hosts.On the island of Tenerife in the Canary archipelago, the A. cantonensis invasion was recognized more than a decade ago. The endemic lizard Gallotia galloti has been identified as a paratenic host of this nematode in the Canary Island ecosystem. Because this lizard species is the most abundant reptile in Tenerife, we tested its suitability as a possible sentinel for A. cantonensis presence. Lizards were captured alive in nine localities, spanning an environmental gradient across the island. Tail muscle tissue was obtained by provoked caudal autotomy and tested for the nematode infection by a species-specific qPCR. Infection intensities were assessed by detecting A. cantonensis DNA quantities based on a calibrated standard curve. Of the 129 samples tested, 31 were positive. The prevalence varied among localities, with the highest (63.6%) recorded in a humid laurel forest. Even though the prevalence in Valle San Lorenzo was the lowest, this is the first record of A. cantonensis from the arid south of Tenerife. Variation in prevalence at different localities was significantly and positively correlated with increasing vegetation cover and negatively correlated with seasonal variability of precipitation, as determined by Spearman correlation coefficients. Fisher's exact test was used to determine the variation in the prevalence of A. cantonensis among adult males, females, and juveniles and showed no significant difference. Also, there was no significant difference in infection intensity between males and females (as determined by GEE-g). We demonstrated that provoking caudal autotomy can be an effective non-lethal method of A. cantonensis mapping in island ecosystems with abundant lizard species, particularly those with a sharp climatic and vegetation gradient, from xeric to humid conditions.

Department of Botany and Zoology Faculty of Science Masaryk University Czech Republic

Department of Ecology and Diseases of Zoo Animals Game Fish and Bees Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology University of Veterinary Sciences Brno Brno Czech Republic

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Pediatrics Preventive Medicine and Public Health Toxicology Legal and Forensic Medicine and Parasitology Universidad de La Laguna La Laguna Canary Islands Spain

Department of Veterinary Sciences Faculty of Agrobiology Food and Natural Resources CINeZ Czech University of Life Sciences Prague Czech Republic

Department of Zoology Faculty of Science Palacký University Olomouc Czech Republic

Institute of Parasitology Biology Center of Czech Academy of Sciences Czech Republic

Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias Universidad de La Laguna La Laguna Canary Islands Spain

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In the eastern Mediterranean, the rat lungworm Angiostrongylus cantonensis is absent or extremely rare according to recent surveys