engleski

Prevalence of Dirofilaria spp. in randomly chosen dogs

Dirofilariosis is an emerging mosquito-borne parasitic zoonosis affecting primarily dogs and it is caused by filarial nematodes Dirofilaria immitis and D. repens, respectively. Although D. repens does not present a serious threat to dogs’ health as D. immitis, due to its zoonotic potential and more frequent findings in humans in Croatia, it is important to differentiate between these two species. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of Dirofilaria spp. infection in randomly chosen dogs and to identify Dirofilaria species. During the period from July 2017 to March 2019, our laboratory received a total of 631 canine whole blood (with EDTA) samples that were subjected to a modified Knott’s test for detecting and differentiating between D. immitis and D. repens microfilariae. Additionally, 533 of all the samples were screened for D. immitis circulating antigen using the FASTest® HW Antigen (MEGACOR) for recognition of a hidden infection. Overall, 62/631 (9.82%) blood samples were positive for microfilariae based on a modified Knott’s test. A morphometric analysis revealed 61 (98.38%) samples with D. repens microfilariae, whereas D. immitis microfilariae were recorded in 2 (3.22%) samples. Screening for D. immitis circulating antigen resulted in 3 (0.56%) positive samples out of 533 tested. This study revealed a higher prevalence of D. repens than of D. immitis in dogs, which is in accordance with former studies carried out in Croatia. Further monitoring could provide a more accurate assessment of the epidemiological situation, thus resulting in raising the awareness of the necessity for dirofilariosis detection, medication and prevention as well as lowering the risk of dogs becoming reservoirs for human infections. Veterinarians and dog owners should be encouraged to practice a regular monthly application of insect repellents and microfilaricides in order to prevent the transmission and spreading of both parasites.

Dirofilaria, Knott's test, microfilariae, dog

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