Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with eye worm infection from Dirofilaria immitis in Europe
By Dantas-Torres, F et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2009·Prof D. Otranto Dipartimento di Sanitá, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Ocular dirofilariosis by Dirofilaria immitis in a dog: first case report from Europe.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old female mixed-breed dog was brought to the vet with swelling in the left eye and redness around it. During the eye exam, the vet found a small worm swimming in the front part of the eye. The worm was surgically removed, but part of it was damaged during the procedure. Tests confirmed that the worm was a male Dirofilaria immitis, which is a type of parasite that can affect dogs. This case is notable as it is the first report of this eye infection in a dog in Europe, and the dog is expected to recover after the surgery.
People also search for: dog eye swelling treatment · Dirofilaria immitis in dogs · mixed-breed dog eye infection
Abstract
A five-year-old, entire female mixed-breed dog was presented with corneal oedema and episcleral hyperaemia in the left eye. The ophthalmological examination revealed the presence of a free-swimming nematode in the anterior chamber. Circulating microfilariae were not observed by a modified Knott test nor were adult antigens detected in serum by a commercial ELISA. The parasite was surgically removed from the dog's eye, but its anterior end was damaged during the surgery. Based on the morphology of the posterior end, the nematode was preliminarily identified as a male Dirofilaria immitis. The species identification was confirmed by PCR amplification and sequencing of the mitochondrial coxI and 12S rDNA genes, using a DNA barcoding approach. Although other cases of ocular dirofilariosis by D. immitis have been previously recorded in Australia and the United States, the case reported herein is the first in a dog from Europe.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19954444/