Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How common is heartworm in dogs in Jamaica
By Khouri, Nadia K et al.·Published in Parasitology research·2024·Department of Basic Medical Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis in dogs in Jamaica.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study in Jamaica found that 18.7% of dogs tested positive for heartworm disease, caused by the parasite Dirofilaria immitis. The research involved nearly 1,000 dogs, with older dogs (ages 2-9 years) showing higher infection rates. Notably, dogs that were not on heartworm preventative medication had a much higher positivity rate of 25.1%, compared to just 5.5% for those receiving prevention. This highlights the importance of keeping dogs on heartworm prevention to protect them from this serious disease.
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Abstract
Dirofilaria immitis is a zoonotic vector-borne parasite that causes heartworm disease most commonly in canines. Although present in the Caribbean, no published work exists from Jamaica. Therefore, the aim of our study was to evaluate the prevalence of D. immitis in Jamaica. From June to December 2022, whole blood samples from 1000 dogs were collected from all parishes and tested using the Bionote Canine Heartworm Antigen Test Kit 2.0. Dogs that were at least 6 months old, privately owned, residing in shelters, working in the security sector, or strays were recruited into the study. Details on the breed, known or approximate age, sex, use of heartworm prophylaxis, and other medications and location of animals were provided by owners/authorizing agents and recorded. Test results were available for 986 dogs of which 184 tested positive, with an overall prevalence of 18.7% (95% CI, 16.28 to 21.24). Mature adults (2-6 years) comprised most of our sampled population (46.7%), followed by early seniors (7-9 years) (20.1%) and young adults (13-24 months) (9.9%). Prevalence for those age groups was 21.9%, 19.5%, and 7.1%, respectively. A seropositivity of 25.1% was seen in dogs not on heartworm preventative medication compared to 5.5% of dogs on heartworm preventative medication. Our study highlights a higher seroprevalence of D. immitis infections in older dogs and provides evidence supporting the use of preventive medication in the country.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39692786/