Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Heartworm infection rates in dogs from five Turkish provinces
By Simsek, S et al.·Published in Journal of helminthology·2008·Department of Parasitology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Serological and molecular studies on Dirofilaria immitis in dogs from Turkey.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study in Turkey found that 12.8% of dogs tested positive for heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) infection, which can cause serious health issues. The researchers collected blood samples from 211 dogs across five provinces and discovered that older dogs (ages 3-5 years) had a higher infection rate compared to younger dogs (ages 0.5-2 years). Stray dogs and owned dogs showed similar rates of infection, and the highest prevalence was in Kocaeli province. Fortunately, no dogs or cats had detectable microfilarial DNA, which indicates a lower risk of severe heartworm disease at the time of testing.
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Abstract
We estimated the prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis infection in domestic dogs in five Turkish provinces - Sakarya, Kocaeli, Ankara, Elazig and Mersin - using a commercial ELISA kit for detecting circulating antigen and a PCR test for detecting circulating microfilarial DNA. A total of 211 whole-blood and serum samples were collected from dogs of various breeds, ages and life status (owned or stray). Sample population characteristics were recorded and examined for differences in prevalence. Additionally, we collected 15 blood samples from cats (14 owned and 1 stray) from Ankara province and used PCR to detect D. immitis infection. Twenty-seven (12.8%) of 211 dog samples were positive for D. immitis antigen by ELISA. No differences in prevalence were observed by sex (female: 14.4%; male: 10.7%; P>0.05). The prevalence of D. immitis infection varied with age: 11.8% in younger dogs (0.5-2 years) and 17.5% in older dogs (3-5 years). Prevalence between stray dogs (15.2%) and owned dogs (9.3%) did not differ (P>0.05). Prevalence rates were highest in Kocaeli province (18.3%), followed by Ankara (14.8%), Sakarya (12.3%) and Mersin (10.5%) provinces. Prevalence in Elazig province was 0%. No dogs or cats had microfilarial DNA detectable by PCR.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18394211/