Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How common are tick and heartworm infections in dogs in Hungary
By Farkas, Robert et al.·Published in Vector borne and zoonotic diseases (Larchmont, N.Y.)·2014·1 Faculty of Veterinary Science·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Seroprevalence of some vector-borne infections of dogs in Hungary.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study in Hungary found that 13% of healthy pet dogs tested positive for one or more vector-borne infections, such as Anaplasma, Dirofilaria (heartworm), and Borrelia (Lyme disease). The most common infection was Anaplasma, found in nearly 8% of the dogs, while heartworm was present in about 2.4%. Older dogs were more likely to test positive for these infections. The study highlights the importance of regular testing for these diseases, especially in areas where they are prevalent, to ensure early detection and treatment.
People also search for: dog heartworm symptoms · Lyme disease in dogs · Anaplasma infection treatment in dogs
Abstract
The first comprehensive study on the prevalence of canine vector-borne pathogens (Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia burgdorferi, Ehrlichia canis, and Dirofilaria immitis) was carried in Hungary because, except for babesiosis and dirofilariosis caused by Dirofilaria repens, there were no data on their regional distribution and prevalence. In 2011 and 2012, 1305 blood samples were collected from randomly selected, apparently healthy pet dogs in 167 localities of 19 counties of Hungary. All sera samples from dogs were screened for simultaneous qualitative detection of circulating antibodies to E. canis and B. burgdorferi sensu lato and A. phagocytophilum and D. immitis antigen using SNAP(®) 4Dx (IDEXX Laboratories). Overall, 170 dogs (13.0%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 11-15) were serologically positive to one or more of the tested pathogens. A. phagocytophilum was the most prevalent pathogen detected in 102 dogs by antibody titers (7.9%, 95% CI 6.5-9.5), followed by D. immitis (2.4%, 95% CI 1.0-4.0, n=64) and B. burgdorferi (0.4%, 95% CI 0.0-1.1, n=11) out of 1305 tested dogs. The least prevalent infection was with E. canis, with only two positive dogs (0.16%, 95% CI 0.03-0.6). Co-infection was found in eight dogs (0.61%, 95% CI 0.29-1.21), of which seven were seropositive to two pathogens (five with A. phagocytophilum and D. immitis, two with A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi). One dog was serologically positive to three pathogens (A. phagocytophilum, B. burgdorferi, and D. immitis). Purebred and crossbred animals did not show significantly different levels of seropositivity. There was no significant association between the gender and the results of diagnostic testing. Logistic regression analysis showed a higher chance of seropositivity in the older dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24689833/