Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dirofilaria repens infection found in a dog's testicle in Italy
By Napoli, Ettore et al.·Published in Comparative immunology, microbiology and infectious diseases·2019·Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Unusual localization of Dirofilaria repens (Spirurida: Onchocercidae) infection in the testicle of a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 9-year-old dog from southern Italy was found to have a rare infection caused by Dirofilaria repens, a type of parasite, in his testicle during a neutering procedure. Surprisingly, the dog showed no symptoms, and there were no visible issues with the testicle or surrounding areas. Three adult parasites were discovered, but they did not cause any harm. This case highlights that dogs can carry this parasite without showing signs of illness, so it's important for pet owners in affected areas to have their dogs screened regularly to prevent potential transmission to humans.
People also search for: dog testicle infection · Dirofilaria repens in dogs · asymptomatic dog parasites · neutering dog findings
Abstract
This report describes an uncommon localization of Dirofilaria repens in the testicle of a nine-year-old dog from southern Italy. The dog underwent neutring and three adult nematodes were found in the tunica vaginalis. At gross anatomy, no pathological changes were observed on the tunica, in the testicle or epididymis. The parasites, one female and two males, were morphologically and molecularly identified as D. repens. This is the first report of D. repens in the canine testicle in Italy. This case report highlights the asymptomatic nature of D. repens infection, suggesting that dogs living in endemic areas may act as silent carriers. Careful screening and an effective chemoprophylaxis should be ensured for all animals potentially exposed to D. repens infection in order to reduce the risk of infection to humans in areas where the parasite is endemic.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31437684/