Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Heat treatment doubles heartworm antigen detection in healthy US dogs
By Barrantes Murillo, Daniel Felipe et al.·Published in Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)·2024·Department of Pathobiology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Heat Treatment Augments Antigen Detection ofin Apparently Healthy Companion Dogs (3.8% to 7.3%): Insights from a Large-Scale Nationwide Survey across the United States.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A nationwide survey found that heat treatment of blood samples from dogs significantly improved the detection of heartworm disease (HWD). In the study, 3,253 dog blood samples were tested for heartworm antigens, and using heat treatment increased the detection rate from 3.8% to 7.3%. This method helps identify more cases of heartworm, especially in areas where the disease is present but not easily detected. Veterinarians are encouraged to use heat treatment as a standard practice when initial tests come back negative, as it can help catch hidden infections.
People also search for: dog heartworm disease symptoms · heartworm test for dogs · heat treatment for heartworm detection
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Heartworm disease (HWD) is a vector-borne disease caused by the filarial nematode. Low antigen levels caused by immune complex formation preclude HWD diagnosis. Heat treatment is an immune complex dissociation technique used to enhance antigen detection. Only a few studies have reported the benefits of heat treatment in nationwide surveys. METHODS: To investigate the impact of heat treatment on the seroprevalence of HWD in companion dogs in the USA, serum samples (n = 3253) were analyzed forantigen (DiroCHEK, Zoetis) without and with heat treatment of the samples. RESULTS: Compared to sera without heat treatment, heat treatment significantly increased overall prevalence from 3.8% (123/3253) to 7.3% (237/3253) (< 10), expanding antigen detection from 32 to 39 of the 48 states and Washington District of Columbia included in this study. CONCLUSIONS: This study represents the largest nationwide survey of HW antigen detection in dogs in the US applying heat treatment to canine sera. The heat treatment used herein has the advantage of requiring a low volume of serum, making it optimal for use in routine diagnosis. Heat treatment should be used routinely by reference laboratories and veterinary clinics in patients with a negative initial test.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38251363/