Veterinary Archives, Vol. 92 No. 3, 2022.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.24099/vet.arhiv.1453
Subclinical dirofilariosis in dogs in Croatia – results of retrospective research based on archived blood samples
Lea Lovrić
; Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Vedrana Vavžik
; ”SplitVet” - Small Animals Practice, Split, Croatia
Tatjana Živičnjak
orcid.org/0000-0002-0395-7911
; Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Dirofilariosis is an emerging vector-borne disease of dogs and other canids transmitted by female mosquitoes of the Culicidae family, and caused by filarial nematodes of the genus Dirofilaria. Dirofilaria immitis mainly infects the pulmonary arteries and right heart chambers, and it can cause heartworm disease in dogs, while D. repens is found mainly in subcutaneous tissue and causes subclinical infection. Both have zoonotic potential. Human infections caused by D. repens are increasing in Europe, and it is emerging as a serious public health threat. Scientific interest has tended to focus mostly on D. immitis because of its pathogenicity and veterinary importance. This study aimed to update the information about dirofilariosis in the canine population in Croatia. Therefore, 531 blood samples were tested for the presence of microfilariae using a modified Knott’s test and a commercial test for detection of D. immitis circulating antigens. Microfilaremia was detected in 8.1% of the tested dogs, of which 7.9% were caused by D. repens and 0.4% by D. immitis. A single sample (0.2%) showed a mixed infection with both D. repens and D. immitis. The seroprevalence for D. immitis was 0.4%. No occult D. immitis infection was detected, and microfilariae were detected in all antigen-positive samples.
Keywords
Dirofilaria; microfilariae; Knott’s-test; dog; Croatia
Hrčak ID:
281014
URI
Publication date:
17.7.2022.
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