Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Detection of circulating microfilariae in canine EDTA blood using lens-free technology: preliminary results.
- Journal:
- Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc
- Year:
- 2021
- Authors:
- Lavabre, Typhaine et al.
- Affiliation:
- Dé · France
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
This study looked at a new, low-cost imaging method to help detect tiny parasites called microfilariae in dogs' blood. These parasites can cause serious heart disease, so it's important to find them in dog populations. Researchers tested this method on blood samples from three groups of dogs: those with the parasites, healthy dogs, and dogs with other blood issues. They found that the new imaging technique successfully identified the parasites in nearly all cases where they were present, and it didn't miss any cases. Overall, this technology shows promise for helping veterinarians detect these parasites in dogs.
Abstract
causes life-threatening heart disease in dogs, thus screening of dog populations is important. Lens-free technology (LFT) is a low-cost imaging technique based on light diffraction that allows computerized recognition of small objects in holographic images. We evaluated an algorithm capable of recognizing microfilariae in canine whole blood using the LFT. We examined 3 groups of 10 EDTA blood specimens, from dogs with microfilaremia (group A), healthy dogs (B), and dogs with hematologic modifications other than microfilaremia (C). The LFT analyzer photographed repeated series of 5 images of all samples. The algorithm declared a sample positive if a microfilaria was detected on ≥1, ≥2, or ≥3 of the 5 images of a series. Microfilariae were detected visually in the images in 9 of 10 cases in group A; no microfilariae were seen in the images from groups B and C. Of the 30 cases, there were 14, 4, and only 3 false-positives with the 1 of 5, 2 of 5, and 3 of 5 image cutoffs, respectively. There were no false-negatives, regardless of cutoff. LFT seems useful for detecting microfilaria and could have application in clinical pathology.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33733938/