Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Heartworm infection found in 13.5% of dogs in western Albania
By Rapti, Dhimiter & Rehbein, Steffen·Published in Parasitology research·2010·Fakulteti i Mjeksise Veterinare·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Seroprevalence of canine heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) infection in Albania.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that 13.5% of dogs tested in Albania had heartworm infection, which can cause serious breathing problems and heart issues. The research showed that dogs with symptoms like coughing or difficulty breathing had a much higher infection rate of 83.3%, compared to only 10.1% in healthy dogs. This highlights the importance of testing for heartworm, especially in dogs showing any signs of respiratory distress. Regular testing and preventive treatments are crucial for keeping dogs safe from this potentially deadly parasite.
People also search for: dog heartworm symptoms · heartworm prevention for dogs · why is my dog coughing
Abstract
Blood samples from 260 dogs over 1 year of age from eight districts of the western part of Albania (20 to 50 dogs per district) were collected in 1995 and 1996 and tested for circulating Dirofilaria immitis antigen using the PetChek HTWM PF (IDEXX) ELISA test kit. Overall seroprevalence of D. immitis infection among these dogs was 13.5% (95% confidence interval = 9.3-17.6%), ranging from 5% to 30% between the districts of origin of the dogs. There was no difference for the seroprevalence of heartworm infection between the sexes and age classes or between pure and mixed breed dogs; however, D. immitis seroprevalence was significantly (p < 0.0001) higher in dogs presenting cardiopulmonary signs (83.3%) compared to clinically inconspicuous dogs (10.1%).
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20499095/