First report of heartworm (<i>Dirofilaria immitis</i>) infection in an imported dog in Lithuania

Sabūnas, Vytautas; Radzijevskaja, Jana; Sakalauskas, Povilas; Paulauskas, Algimantas

doi:10.2478/helm-2018-0036

Cited by 12 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 20 publications

(24 reference statements)

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“…Both filarioid species ( D. immitis and D. repens ) require the same temperature and the same time interval for incubation in the same vector species under laboratory conditions [64, 65]. Recently reported autochthonous cases of heartworm infection in Central European countries [32, 44, 66, 67] and the documented imported case in the Baltic countries [68] demonstrate that veterinary practitioners should expect the expansion of life-threatening D. immitis in north-eastern Europe.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dirofilaria repens in dogs and humans in Lithuania

et al. 2019

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Background In Lithuania, the first case of canine subcutaneous dirofilariosis was recorded in 2010. Since then, an increasing number of cases of canine dirofilariosis have been documented in different veterinary clinics throughout the country. Human dirofilariosis was diagnosed in Lithuania for the first time in September 2011. However, to the authors’ knowledge, there are no published data on the presence and prevalence of autochthonous dirofilariosis in dogs and humans in the country. The present study provides information about the predominant species and prevalence of Dirofilaria in dogs and describes the cases of human dirofilariosis in Lithuania. It also outlines PCR detection of the bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia that contributes to the inflammatory features of filarioid infection. Results A total of 2280 blood samples and six adult worms from pet and shelter dogs were collected in the central and eastern regions of Lithuania in 2013–2015. Based on their morphological appearance, morphometric measurements and molecular analysis, all the adult nematodes were identified as Dirofilaria repens. The diagnosis of microfilariae in blood samples was based on blood smear analysis and Knott’s test. The PCR and sequence analysis of the ribosomal DNA ITS2 region and cox 1 gene confirmed the presence of D. repens . Overall, 61 (2.7%) of the 2280 blood samples were found to be positive for the presence of D. repens. The infection rate of D. repens was significantly higher in shelter dogs (19.0%; 19/100) than in pet dogs (1.9%; 42/2180) ( χ 2 = 100.039, df = 1, P < 0.0001). Forty-nine DNA samples of D. repens -infected dogs were tested for the presence of the bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia and, of these, 40 samples (81.6%) were found to be positive. Three ocular and six subcutaneous cases of human dirofilariosis were diagnosed in Lithuania in the period 2011–2018. Conclusions To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of autochthonous D. repens infection in dogs and humans in Lithuania. The present data demonstrate that D. repens is the main etiological agent of dirofilariosis in Lithuania. The DNA of the filarioid endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia was detected in the vast majority of dogs infected with D. repens .

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dirofilaria repens in dogs and humans in Lithuania

et al. 2019

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“…In contrast less data are available on the occurrence of D. immitis in Europe 2 , although this species is considered to be endemic in some European countries (Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic) 29 – 33 and recent reports have indicated the presence of D. immitis in Poland and the Baltic countries 34 – 36 . However, the region encompassing the Baltic (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia) and Nordic countries has been studied less extensively than elsewhere in Europe 37 – 39 and this region in Northern Europe is likely to be a new area for expansion of the range of Dirofilaria spp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emerging risk of Dirofilaria spp. infection in Northeastern Europe: high prevalence of Dirofilaria repens in sled dog kennels from the Baltic countries

Alsarraf

Levytska

Mierzejewska

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Dirofilariasis is a fast-spreading disease of dogs and humans in Europe. We investigated whether Dirofilaria spp. have spread northwards in Europe, invading the Baltic countries. Altogether, 424 blood samples were collected from eight countries in the period 2017–2019, including 227 samples from sled dogs and 197 samples from other dogs. PCR amplification and sequencing were conducted employing three genetic markers (mitochondrial [mt] 12S rDNA, mt cytochrome c oxidase subunit I [COI] gene and mt dehydrogenase subunit I [NAD1] gene). The SNAP test (IDEXX) for detection of D. immitis infections was also implemented. The DNA of D. repens was detected in 59 of 424 dogs (prevalence 13.9%). D. repens was found in sled dogs from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Belarus. Only one dog from Estonia was infected, apparently an imported case. The highest prevalence was recorded in Lithuania (38%). Among pet dogs from the Ukraine, six dogs tested positive (3.8%). Our study has revealed a high prevalence of D. repens infections in Lithuania and Latvia, but no evidence for spread of the heartworm D. immitis. We conclude that sled dog kennels constitute hot spots for D. repens transmission.

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“…The significance of preventive measures should not be underestimated and dogs should be periodically monitored for microfilariae and for circulating antigens, especially in localities where dirofilariae were previously detected, because microfilaremic dogs serve as an important reservoir of the parasite for both humans and other animals (Stoyanova et al, 2019;Velev et al, 2019). Also, taking into account the recent global trends in traveling and trading, the risk of accidental imported heartworm infections is constantly increasing (Sabūnas et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The fatal case of an autochthonous heartworm disease in a dog from a non-endemic region of south-eastern Slovakia

et al. 2019

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SummaryDuring the past few years, several localities with increasing Dirofilaria immitis occurrences have been identified in Slovakia; particularly in areas regarded as endemic for Dirofilaria repens up until now. In terms of that, dogs with clinically manifested heartworm disease have been referred to the veterinary ambulances more frequently. We report in this study, two autochthonous cases of D. immitisinfections diagnosed in two seven-year-old siblings of Tibetan Mastiff dogs from the Košice region of south-eastern Slovakia. The course of the disease in both dogs were very different. The female dog did not manifest any unusual findings, however the male dog exhibited severe clinical signs of heartworm disease that lead to his death. The subsequent autopsy revealed adult D. immitis worms in the right heart ventricle and pulmonary arteries.

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First report of heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) infection in an imported dog in Lithuania

Cited by 12 publications

References 20 publications

Dirofilaria repens in dogs and humans in Lithuania

Dirofilaria repens in dogs and humans in Lithuania

Emerging risk of Dirofilaria spp. infection in Northeastern Europe: high prevalence of Dirofilaria repens in sled dog kennels from the Baltic countries

The fatal case of an autochthonous heartworm disease in a dog from a non-endemic region of south-eastern Slovakia

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