Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How to detect heartworm in dogs in Cabo Frio Brazil
By Trancoso, Taíssa Angélica Lemos et al.·Published in Revista brasileira de parasitologia veterinaria = Brazilian journal of veterinary parasitology : Orgao Oficial do Colegio Brasileiro de Parasitologia Veterinaria·2020·Departamento de Microbiologia e Parasitologia, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Detection of Dirofilaria immitis using microscopic, serological and molecular techniques among dogs in Cabo Frio, RJ, Brazil.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study in Brazil found that nearly 30% of dogs tested positive for heartworm disease, which can cause serious health issues. Researchers compared different testing methods, including blood tests and microscopic examinations, to see which was most effective. They discovered that the ELISA test was the best at detecting heartworm infections, outperforming other methods. This means that if your dog shows symptoms like coughing or lethargy, a vet may recommend an ELISA test for accurate diagnosis and treatment options.
People also search for: dog heartworm symptoms · heartworm test for dogs · how to treat heartworm in dogs
Abstract
Heartworm disease is a health problem for dogs and cats, especially in tropical and subtropical coastal regions of the world. Some studies have compared the efficacy of the diagnostic techniques used to detect this parasitosis. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare parasitological optical microscopy (POM), serological and molecular techniques for diagnosing canine heartworm infection. Samples were collected between July 2015 and April 2016 from 103 dogs in Cabo Frio, RJ, Brazil. The wet fresh blood, thick smears, thin smears and modified Knott's test were used to detect microfilariae. ELISA (Snap™ 4Dx ® IDEXX) was used to detect antigens and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect DNA and enable sequencing for species differentiation and confirmation. 19.4% of samples were positive according to microscopy. Through PCR, 15.5% of the total were positive. Using ELISA, the positivity rate was 29.1%. Occult heartworm infection was detected in 11.6% of the samples. ELISA sensitivity was shown to be higher than PCR or microscopy (P = 0.001). Sequencing of samples confirmed the presence of Dirofilaria immitis and Acanthocheilonema reconditum . ELISA was more effective for serological diagnosis canine heartworm and should be used in clinical and epidemiological studies.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32236332/