Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Heartworm infection rising in dogs in south-western Slovakia
By Miterpáková, Martina et al.·Published in Parasitology research·2018·Institute of Parasitology·View original on PubMed →
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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Heartworm on the rise-new insights into Dirofilaria immitis epidemiology.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 25 dogs from a breeding facility in Slovakia was tested for heartworm disease, and 18 of them were found to be infected, which is a high rate of 72%. The tests confirmed that 16 of these dogs had Dirofilaria immitis, the species that causes serious heartworm disease, while 8 had D. repens, which is less harmful. This suggests that heartworm infections may be more common in this region than previously thought, raising concerns about the potential for D. immitis to become a regular problem in Central Europe.
People also search for: dog heartworm symptoms · heartworm treatment for dogs · why is my dog coughing · heartworm prevention for dogs · dog heartworm disease prevalence
Abstract
Until recently Dirofilaria immitis, the causative agent of serious canine heartworm disease, has been detected relatively infrequently in Central Europe in comparison with the predominant D. repens species. In the present study, the elevated number of heartworm cases among dogs from a breeding establishment in south-western Slovakia is described. Out of 25 dogs examined, dirofilariasis was detected by single or several diagnostic approaches in 18 animals, which represents a mean prevalence of 72.0%. D. immitis was confirmed in 16 (64.0%) of the infected dogs and D. repens in 8 dogs (32.0%). All cases of D. immitis infection were detected in areas regarded as D. repens-endemic to date. Following the presented results and discussed circumstances, the question of whether the real prevalence of canine heartworm disease in Slovakia, or even in Central Europe as a whole, has been underestimated, or if D. immitis is currently becoming endemic in this area.
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 PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29774422/