Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dirofilaria repens infection common in shelter dogs in South Romania
By Cimpan, Andrei Alexandru et al.·Published in Comparative immunology, microbiology and infectious diseases·2022·Sanitary-Veterinary and Food Safety Laboratory·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Dirofilaria repens predominates in shelter dogs from South Romania.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 300 shelter dogs in Southern Romania were tested for parasitic infections caused by filarioids, which can affect both pets and humans. The results showed that 17% of the dogs had at least one type of filarioid, with the most common being Dirofilaria repens, found in 11.7% of the dogs. This is concerning because these parasites can pose health risks to both animals and people. Ongoing monitoring of these infections is important to protect the health of pets and the community.
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Abstract
Canine filarioids are zoonotic vector-borne parasitic nematodes distributed mostly in the tropics and subtropics. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, distribution, etiology and genetic variation of canine filarioid infections by three different PCR techniques in four Southern Romanian counties. Blood samples of 300 shelter dogs were screened for infections with canine filarioids by real-time PCR. To determine filarioid species and coinfections, samples positive in the initial screening were further tested by conventional PCR and sequenced. Results indicated that 17% of the tested dogs were positive for at least one filarioid species. The prevalence of D. repens infection was 11.7%, significantly higher than that of D. immitis (4.7%) and A. reconditum (1.3%) (p ≤ 0.003). The high prevalence of canine filarioid infections represents a challenge to animal and human health in the South of Romania, and they should be constantly monitored.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35287057/