Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Rapid heartworm test detects low worm levels in dogs and cats
By Genchi, Marco et al.·Published in Parasitology research·2018·Department of Veterinary Science, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of a rapid immunochromatographic test for the detection of low burden Dirofilaria immitis (heartworm) in dogs and cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study tested a new rapid test for detecting heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) in dogs and cats. The test showed excellent results, correctly identifying heartworm in 90.9% of dogs with one adult female worm and 100% in those with multiple worms. It was also 100% accurate in distinguishing infected animals from those with other types of worms. For cats, the test was nearly perfect, detecting heartworm in 98.9% of cases. This new test could help vets quickly and accurately diagnose heartworm infections in pets.
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Abstract
The performance of a rapid immunochromatographic test for the detection of Dirofilaria immitis antigens (Speed Diro™; BVT-Virbac, France) was assessed in 49 experimentally infected dogs and in 244 naturally infected animals; 142 dogs and 102 cats. In experimentally infected dogs, Speed Diro™ showed a sensitivity of 90.9% in dogs infected with one adult female worm and 100% in dogs infected with more than one female worm. Specificity was 100%. For naturally infected dogs, the Knott test and PetChekHTWM PF served as reference methods for microfilaremia and antigenemia, respectively. All microfilaemic dogs (55/142) were positive with Speed Diro™. Importantly, none of the 21 dogs infected with D. repens were positive. The results of Speed Diro™ for the detection of antigenemia were compared with two in-house tests, SNAPHTWM and WitnessDirofilaria, and all three tests were 100% specific and sensitive in comparison to PetChekHTWM PF. For the evaluation of feline samples, 102 cats were examined by echocardiography. Sera from 87 heartworm-infected cats were tested by Speed Diro™ and SNAPHTWM. The results of Speed Diro™ were equivalent to SNAPHTWM, with a sensitivity of 98.9% and a specificity of 100%.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29224180/