Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with inguinal hernia linked to unusual Dirofilaria repens
By Deak, Georgiana et al.·Published in Parasites & vectors·2021·Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A case of inguinal hernia associated with atypical Dirofilaria repens infection in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 12-year-old dog was brought to the vet because of a swelling in the area near his penis, which turned out to be an inguinal hernia. During surgery to repair the hernia, the vet discovered four long worms in the dog's abdomen, identified as Dirofilaria repens, a type of parasite often spread by mosquitoes. The dog was treated with a medication that combines imidacloprid and moxidectin, which is effective against these parasites. After treatment, the dog recovered well from the surgery and the infection.
People also search for: dog inguinal hernia treatment · Dirofilaria repens in dogs · dog swelling near penis · dog parasite treatment · inguinal hernia surgery recovery
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Dirofilaria repens is a filarioid nematode transmitted by mosquitoes. Adult D. repens are typically localized in the subcutaneous tissue of the host, but other, atypical localizations have also been reported. There have been several reports of clinical cases involving an association of parasites and hernias in both animals and humans. However, it is unclear if parasitic infection can act as a triggering factor in the development of hernias. METHODS: A 12-year-old dog was referred to a private veterinarian clinic in Satu Mare, northwestern Romania due to the presence of a swelling in the lateral side of the penis (inguinal area). The dog underwent hernia repair surgery during which four long nematodes were detected in the peritoneal serosa of the inguinal hernial sac. One female specimen was subjected to genomic DNA extraction to confirm species identification, based on amplification and sequencing of a 670-bp fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene. Treatment with a single dose of imidacloprid 10% + moxidectin 2.5% (Advocate, Bayer AG) was administered. RESULTS: The nematodes were morphologically identified as adult D. repens, and the BLAST analyses revealed a 100% nucleotide similarity to a D. repens sequence isolated from a human case in Czech Republic. CONCLUSIONS: We report a case of an atypical localization of D. repens in the peritoneal cavity of a naturally infected pet dog with inguinal hernia and discuss the associations between hernia and parasitic infections.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33637128/