Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How common is heartworm in dogs in São Paulo state
By N.F. Souza & M.H.M.A Larsson·Published in Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia·2001·Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias do Pará, BR·View original on DOAJ →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Frequency of canine heartworm disease (D. immitis) in some regions of São Paulo State using a circulating antigen indicator test
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A survey of 310 dogs in São Paulo found that 8% tested positive for heartworm disease, a serious condition caused by a parasite. The study revealed that more dogs from coastal areas were infected compared to those in the city. Most of the positive cases were detected using a blood test that shows the presence of the parasite's larvae, while fewer were identified through an antigen test. Overall, the results suggest that while heartworm is present, the infection rates are not alarmingly high in these regions. Regular testing and preventive treatments are recommended to keep dogs safe from heartworm disease.
People also search for: dog heartworm symptoms · how to prevent heartworm in dogs · heartworm treatment for dogs
Abstract
The frequency of canine heartworm disease was determined in 310 dogs (158 males and 152 females) from São Paulo city (154) and several towns along the São Paulo state coast (156). The survey was carried out through the Knott's technique (direct presence of microfilariae in the blood) and ELISA for soluble circulating antigen detection. Twenty five (8.0%) samples were positive to D. immitis using both methods being 6 dogs (3.9%) from the city and 19 (12.2%) from the coastal area. Nineteen dogs (6.1%) were positive to the Knott's technique (4 from the city and 15 from the coastal area) and 12 dogs (3.9%) to the ELISA (4 from the city and 8 from the coastal area); six dogs (1.9%) were positive for both methods being two from the city and four from the coastal area. The frequency of positive dogs by the Knott's technique in the coastal area was higher than that in São Paulo city (P<0.05), but equivalent frequency was found in dogs from both areas when the ELISA test was used. Higher number of dogs with a patent infection (microfilaremic) was found than those with occult infection (amicrofilaremic). This survey has shown that the dogs were not infected with high frequency probably because the studied areas were not hiperenzootic endemic (higher than 10% of frequency).
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-09352001000300009