A case of autochthonous human Dirofilaria infection, Germany, March 2014

Abstract

In March 2014, an infection with the nematode Dirofilaria repens was diagnosed in a German citizen in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt. The patient had developed an itching subcutaneous nodule containing a female worm, which was identified as D. repens by 12S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene sequencing. Autochthonous human D. repens infections have not been described in Germany so far, but this finding is consistent with the recent detection of D. repens in mosquitoes from east Germany.

Human case of Onchocerca lupi infection, Germany, August 2014

“…The parasite had been detected in a local dog from an animal shelter in Germany in 2002 [12], however, the source of the dog's infection remained unclear. In theory, similar to a recent report on the first autochthonous case of human dirofilariosis in Germany soon after the detection of D. repens in German dogs [13], the human O. lupi infection reported here could have also been acquired autochthonously in Germany -by a hitherto unknown vector, even though this does not seem very likely. Tunisia and Turkey, countries with reported human infections [5][6][7] were visited by our patient 11 and 22 months before symptom onset, respectively, and are more likely to have been the places of infection.…”

Vector-borne pathogens in dogs and red foxes from the federal state of Brandenburg, Germany

“…Furthermore, this zoonotic parasite as well as the heartworm D. immitis were found in local mosquito species from Brandenburg in the years 2011 and 2012 (Czajka et al, 2014) and was very recently detected in a human from Saxony-Anhalt (neighbouring state to Brandenburg) without travel history into endemic areas (Tappe et al, 2014). Due to these findings, it is currently considered to be an emerging infectious disease in Germany.…”

Evaluation of the Adulticidal Efficacy of Imidacloprid 10 %/Moxidectin 2.5 % (w/v) Spot-on (Advocate®, Advantage® Multi) against Dirofilaria repens in Experimentally Infected Dogs

“…It has been shown not only that infection rates are increasing in well-known endemic areas in southern Europe, but also that the disease is spreading towards northern and eastern areas formerly free of the infection (Genchi et al 2011, Tasić-Otašević et al 2015. Recently, Tappe et al (2014) described the first autochthonous human case in Germany, after a series of cases in dogs in previous years had indicated the occurrence of D. repens there (Hermosilla et al 2006, Sassnau et al 2009). Since the parasite has also been repeatedly detected in a local mosquito population in Germany, a stable local transmission is now assumed (Czajka et al 2014;Kronefeld et al 2014).…”