Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Heartworm parasite spreading in dogs, foxes, and jackals in Hungary
By Tolnai, Z et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology·2014·Laboratory of Parasitology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Dirofilaria immitis: an emerging parasite in dogs, red foxes and golden jackals in Hungary.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A dog in Hungary was diagnosed with heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis), a parasite that can cause serious health issues. This infection was part of a growing trend, as Hungary has seen an increase in heartworm cases among dogs and wild animals like red foxes and golden jackals over the past decade. The study found that the rates of infection in these animals are similar to those in Mediterranean countries. Pet owners in Hungary should be aware of this emerging risk and consider preventive treatments for heartworm to protect their dogs.
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Abstract
Hungary was not considered to be a heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) endemic country until 2007, when the first autochthonous canine infection was described. Herein we report additional autochthonous heartworm infections in two dogs (Canis familiaris), twenty red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) (n=534; prevalence: 3.7%; 95% CI=2.4-5.7%) and two golden jackals (Canis aureus) (n=27; prevalence: 7.4%; 95% CI=2.1-23.4%) coming from eight counties. The identification of the parasite was based on morphology, morphometrics and amplification of 12S rDNA followed by sequencing in all cases. Our results indicate that Hungary became a D. immitis endemic country in the past decade. The prevalence and intensity of heartworm infection in wild canids is similar to or lower than that observed in the Mediterranean countries of Europe (3.7-7.4% vs. 0.4-12.7% and 1.5 vs. 2.9-4.4 worms/animal). These findings are in line with the results of the recently developed climate based forecast model to predict the establishment of D. immitis in Hungary.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24810374/