Discussing extraintestinal nematodes of cats in Eastern Europe at the 5th Vetoquinol Scientific Roundtable

We were pleased to take part in the 5th Vetoquinol Scientific Roundtable Parasitology, held in Malta, where experts in parasitology, pharmacology, feline medicine, and One Health met to discuss current challenges and new directions in feline parasitology. The meeting created an excellent setting for scientific exchange, bringing together different perspectives on parasite surveillance, diagnostics, clinical relevance, zoonotic risks, and future research priorities.

Our contribution focused on Extraintestinal nematodes of cats in Eastern Europe. In this presentation, we highlighted the diversity of nematode species affecting cats beyond the intestinal tract and emphasized that these parasites are often overlooked in clinical practice, despite their medical relevance and, in some cases, zoonotic importance. One of the key messages was that feline nematode infections should not be approached too narrowly, since their impact may involve multiple organ systems and may therefore remain underrecognized if clinicians focus only on the more familiar intestinal parasites.

For us, participating in this roundtable was valuable not only because of the opportunity to present regional data and perspectives from Eastern Europe, but also because of the high level of discussion with colleagues working in different but complementary fields. Meetings like this are important because they help connect clinical experience, epidemiology, experimental research, and One Health thinking, all of which are necessary if we want a more complete and realistic understanding of feline parasitology.