Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
First case of heartworm infection in imported dog in Lithuania
By Vytautas Sabūnas et al.·Published in Helminthologia·2019·View original on Semantic Scholar →
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Original publication title: First Report of Heartworm (Dirofilaria Immitis) Infection in an Imported Dog in Lithuania
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old male Spanish greyhound was brought to a veterinary clinic in Lithuania for a routine health check and was found to have heartworm infection. Tests confirmed the presence of heartworm larvae and proteins in his blood. The dog received treatment following the guidelines from the American Heartworm Society. This case highlights the potential risk of heartworm spreading in areas where it was previously uncommon, especially from dogs imported from regions where heartworm is more common.
People also search for: dog heartworm symptoms · Spanish greyhound heartworm treatment · imported dog heartworm risk
Abstract
Summary Over the past decade, increasing numbers of autochthonous cases of heartworm infection have been reported in the countries of Eastern Europe where previously only imported cases were described. In this report we have described the first clinical case of Dirofilaria immitis infection in an imported dog in Lithuania. In 2018, a 5-year-old male Spanish greyhound (Spanish galgo) was imported to Lithuania from southern Spain and referred to a small animal veterinary clinic in Vilnius for wellness screening. Circulating microfilariae and female antigens of D. immitis were detected using the Knott’s test and SNAP 4Dx Plus Test (IDEXX Laboratories, Portland, USA). The diagnosis was confirmed using molecular analysis. Treatment according to the guidelines recommended by the American Heartworm Society was applied. This is the first confirmed report of canine heartworm infection in an imported dog in Lithuania. Heartworm-infected dogs transported to North-Eastern Europe from endemic areas could act as microfilarial reservoirs for the local mosquito population, which could increase the risk of spreading the disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/31662673