Canine dirofilariosis endemic in Central Europe—10 years of epidemiological study in Slovakia

Miterpáková, Martina; Iglódyová, Adriana; Čabanová, Viktória; Stloukal, Eduard; Miklisová, Dana

doi:10.1007/s00436-016-4989-2

Cited by 23 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…In the present study, countries most commonly mentioned in the history of dogs infected with D. repens were Hungary, Slovakia and eastern Austria, which are again endemic regions for this infection (Tolnai et al 2014;Fuehrer et al 2016;Miterpáková et al 2016). These results are only partly consistent with a German study from 2011, where most infections with D. repens were imported from Hungary, Greece and Italy (Pantchev et al 2011).All countries mentioned are neighbouring countries of Austria or frequently visited travel destinations and are strongly represented by animal welfare organisations bringing shelter and stray dogs to Austria.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

Current trends in canine dirofilariosis in Austria—do we face a pre-endemic status?

Sonnberger¹,

Duscher

Fuehrer

et al. 2020

Parasitol Res

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A retrospective study based on cases of canine dirofilariosis presented to the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna or diagnosed by private practitioners throughout Austria, from 1998 to 2018 was conducted to investigate the long-term development and current state of canine dirofilarial infections in Austria. Included in this study were 146 dogs which were tested positive for D. immitis and/or D. repens. The most commonly used diagnostic methods and the probable geographical origins of the infections were evaluated and the treatment protocols applied were compared with each other and with the literature. The results show that most infections were found due to screening for common travel infections using antigen-ELISA or PCR-testing, or by the incidental finding of microfilariae. Remarkably, only 24.3% of all cases presented showed clinical signs indicating canine dirofilariosis. Regarding the origin and travel history of the dogs, thirteen different countries could be identified. The three treatment protocols used showed a similar outcome after 8 months of treatment and minor side effects, which is consistent with the literature. An alarming increase in reported infections with both D. immitis and D. repens in Austria was noted since 2014. The number of documented cases had almost tripled by 2018, raising severe concerns about the threat of it becoming endemic in Austria. Therefore, the existing recommendations in current guidelines regarding canine dirofilariosis should be widely publicised and more strictly enforced. Prophylactic measures for dogs travelling abroad and diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for dogs imported from endemic countries should be obligatorily established throughout Europe, to reduce the risk of further spread of canine filarial infections to non-endemic regions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

Current trends in canine dirofilariosis in Austria—do we face a pre-endemic status?

Sonnberger¹,

Duscher

Fuehrer

et al. 2020

Parasitol Res

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“…A possibility is that they were introduced from a neighbouring country where they had been reported. In a long-term monitoring carried out in Slovakia between 2005 and 2015, D. immitis was detected in 10 dogs of which 9 had mixed infection, and some autochthonous cases were revealed in the Komárno district, close to the border of Hungary (Čabanová et al 2015;Miterpáková et al 2016). In Serbia, a high prevalence of both species had been found in dogs (Tasić et al 2008(Tasić et al , 2012Krstić et al, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The current situation of canine dirofilariosis in Hungary

et al. 2019

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Between April and September 2017, blood samples were collected from 344 randomly selected dogs older than 1 year in 180 settlements of 19 counties in Hungary. The dogs lived exclusively outdoors, had never travelled and had neither been examined for Dirofilaria infection nor treated against mosquitoes with insecticides or/and filarioid worms with macrocyclic lactones. Dirofilaria infection was examined with a modified Knott's test for microfilariae, DiroCHEK®, for the presence of D. immitis antigen, as well as by multiplex and conventional PCR. Altogether, 77 (22.4%) dogs living in 58 settlements of 17 counties were found to be infected with one or both Dirofilaria species based on the PCR techniques. Twenty-eight (8.1%) and 38 (11.1%) dogs were infected with D. immitis and D. repens, respectively. Coinfections were recorded in 11 samples (3.2%) collected in 11 locations of 8 counties. The results confirmed that both dirofilarioses are endemic in dogs and the eastern areas of the country are hyperendemic for heartworm disease. Temperature showed a significant association with the prevalence of D. immitis (OR 2.41, 95% CI 1.24-4.86, p = 0.012) but not with that of D. repens (OR 1.37, 95% CI 0.78-2.47, p = 0.286). The prevalence of neither D. immitis (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.98-1.00, p = 0.213) nor D. repens (OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.99-1.01, p = 0.094) showed a significant correlation with precipitation. The number of yearly growing degree days (GDD) based on the lifecycle of Dirofilaria in mosquitoes ranged between 3.73 and 7.57 for the Hungarian districts. The GDD showed a significant positive association with the prevalence of D. immitis (OR 2.38, 95% CI 1.43-4.15, p = 0.001) and a non-significant positive relationship with that of D. repens (OR 1.25, 95% CI 0.83-1.95, p = 0.291).

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“…The highest prevalence of D. immitis was found in the Canary Islands and Madeira and in Mediterranean countries (22–40%). Prevalence of D. repens ranged from 23 to 49% in Southwestern Russia and from 25% to 38% in some central and northern European countries [6, 40–42]. In Iran, China, and India, prevalence rates between 15 and 60% for both species have been reported [6, 43–47].…”

Section: Epidemiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Complexity of Zoonotic Filariasis Episystem and Its Consequences: A Multidisciplinary View

Simón

González‐Miguel

Diosdado

et al. 2017

BioMed Research International

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Vector-borne transmitted helminthic zoonosis affects the health and economy of both developing and developed countries. The concept of episystem includes the set of biological, environmental, and epidemiological elements of these diseases in defined geographic and temporal scales. Dirofilariasis caused by different species of the genus Dirofilaria is a disease affecting domestic and wild canines and felines and man, transmitted by different species of culicid mosquitoes. This complexity is increased because Dirofilaria species harbor intracellular symbiont Wolbachia bacteriae, which play a key role in the embryogenesis and development of dirofilariae and in the inflammatory pathology of the disease. In addition, the vector transmission makes the dirofilariasis susceptible to the influence of the climate and its variations. The present review addresses the analysis of dirofilariasis from the point of view of the episystem, analyzing the complex network of interactions established between biological components, climate, and factors related to human activity, as well as the different problems they pose. The progress of knowledge on human and animal dirofilariasis is largely due to the multidisciplinary approach. Nevertheless, different aspects of the disease need to continue being investigated and cooperation between countries and specialists involved should be intensified.

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Canine dirofilariosis endemic in Central Europe—10 years of epidemiological study in Slovakia

Cited by 23 publications

References 24 publications

Current trends in canine dirofilariosis in Austria—do we face a pre-endemic status?

Current trends in canine dirofilariosis in Austria—do we face a pre-endemic status?

The current situation of canine dirofilariosis in Hungary

The Complexity of Zoonotic Filariasis Episystem and Its Consequences: A Multidisciplinary View

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