<i>Dirofilaria repens</i>—An etiological factor or an incidental finding in cytologic and histopathologic biopsies from dogs

Paździor-Czapula, Katarzyna; Otrocka-Domagała, Iwona; Myrdek, Patrycja; Mikiewicz, Mateusz

doi:10.1111/vcp.12597

Cited by 12 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Infection with D. repens is usually considered asymptomatic, but a growing body of evidence suggest that it can cause significant morbidity, and increasing cases have been reported of severe disease leading to liver or kidney failure ( 5 ). Dirofilaria repens infections were also connected to neoplastic, sometimes malignant, processes in dogs ( 6 , 7 ) and humans ( 8 ). Furthermore, the presence of adult D. repens and circulating Mf in blood or parenchymal organs can influence the course of coexisting diseases in infected animals ( 5 , 9 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hematological and Biochemical Changes in Dogs Naturally Infected With Dirofilaria repens

et al. 2020

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Subcutaneous dirofilariosis is a zoonotic disease emerging throughout Europe caused by the filarial nematode Dirofilaria repens . Despite its increasing prevalence, there is a large gap in knowledge of the impact of the parasite on the host. Currently classified as being non-pathogenic, recent evidence suggests that skin dirofilariosis is associated with dermatological conditions including concomitant pruritus, neoplastic processes, inflammation, and even blindness in dogs and humans. The aim of this study was to determine if natural canine D. repens infection leads to biological changes in the canine host. In a real-life veterinary clinic setting, animals are often presented to clinicians for unrelated issues, and D. repens is incidentally identified during inspection. As such, we compared hematological and biochemical parameters of 218 uninfected and 197 dogs naturally infected with D. repens . Interestingly, animals infected with D. repens had lower numbers of lymphocytes ( p < 0.001), red blood cells ( p < 0.001), and thrombocytes ( p = 0.025), decreased hematocrit ( p < 0.001), and increased alkaline phosphatase ( p = 0.016) and creatinine activity ( p = 0.023) compared to uninfected dogs. We further selected a subpopulation of 214 dogs having prima facie hematological and biochemical results within normal reference ranges to evaluate the effect of D. repens infections in seemingly healthy dogs. Among these patients, 93 dogs infected with D. repens had lower numbers of lymphocytes ( p = 0.031), red blood cells ( p = 0.025), and hematocrit ( p = 0.002), higher glucose levels ( p = 0.023), and border line elevated alkaline phosphatase levels ( p = 0.054) compared to 121 uninfected animals. Despite being categorized as asymptomatic, we have observed hematological and biochemical changes associated with D. repens infections in dogs, and our data suggest that dirofilariosis may induce a state of chronic stress. These results link the presence of skin dirofilariosis to biological changes in the canine host, suggesting a mechanism for pathogenicity and shedding new light on the host–parasite relationship.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hematological and Biochemical Changes in Dogs Naturally Infected With Dirofilaria repens

et al. 2020

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“…This is the second report of finding Mf in the body fluid in a dog, the first of which was by Pazdzior-Czapula et al (23). The issue and association between neoplastic processes and the presence of D. repens Mf or adults has been previously observed in cancer of the perianal gland, mast cells, epithelial cells, hemangiopericytoma, and trichoblastoma ribbon in dogs (20), as well as an ocular lymphoma from which the parasite was previously removed from a human patient (5).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

Case Studies of Severe Microfilaremia in Four Dogs Naturally Infected With Dirofilaria repens as the Primary Disease or a Disease Complicating Factor

et al. 2020

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Subcutaneous dirofilariosis in dogs, caused by Dirofilaria repens, is an underdiagnosed disease, now recognized for its zoonotic potential, and growing distribution and prevalence across Europe and Asia. Our understanding of the pathogenicity in human and canine host remains unclear, but case reports suggest that microfilariae (Mf) as well as adult D. repens may directly cause internal organs damage or may be a factor complicating the course of other ailments. The purpose of the study was to report high Mf in dogs and to discuss potential relevance with co-morbidity. Our data from a modified Knott's test performed on 62 infected dogs indicate that the median Mf count in D. repens infections is 675 Mf/ml and we consider microfilaremia above 10,000 Mf/ml as high intensity. This collection of case reports discusses 4 cases of high intensity D. repens microfilaremia in companion dogs; one presenting pathology from a very high intensity of adult D. repens with post-treatment complications, and 3 dogs in which high microfilaremia was detected incidentally during the management of other primary illnesses. To our knowledge this report describes the highest D. repens microfilaremia ever detected in a dog, at 178,000 Mf/ml. The issue of high microfilaremic infections in dogs is poorly studied and there is growing need to identify the presentation and understand the mechanisms of associated pathogenesis in the host-parasite relationship.

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“…Dirofilaria repens can be responsible from subcutaneus granulom, panniculitis and local pruritis in carnivores [17,23]. Also, it can lead to nodules on hypodermis, conjunctiva and lungs in humans.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Being asymptomatic is one of the characteristics of D. repens infection. Since D. repens has zoonotic potential and the pathogenicity in dogs is fully unexplained [23] treatment of dogs poses a great importance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First Molecular Detection of Dirofilaria immitis and D. repens in Dogs from Kyrgyzstan

et al. 2020

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Background Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens are the causative agents of cardiopulmonary and subcutaneous dirofilariosis, respectively. This neglected disease mainly seen in dogs, cats and wild carnivores is re-emerging recent years. No study was conducted on dirofilariosis in dogs in Kyrgyzstan. Purpose The goal of this study was to investigate Dirofilaria species using PCR and sequencing in dogs from Kyrgyzstan. Method Dirofilaria spp. infection in dogs was screened via convential PCR and sequencing in 337 dogs from Kyrgyzstan. Result The overall prevalence of Dirofilaria spp. was 0.59% (2/337): DNA of D. immitis was detected in one sample and DNA of D. repens in second positive sample. In second sample, parallel co-infection of D. repens with Wolbachia was also found. While D. immitis sequence showed 98.70-100% similarity with previously reported sequences of D. immitis from dog blood, D. repens shared 100% identity with other sequences of D. repens. Conclusion These results provided first evidence for Dirofilaria spp. in Kyrgyzstan and emphasized the veterinary and medical importance.

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Dirofilaria repens—An etiological factor or an incidental finding in cytologic and histopathologic biopsies from dogs

Cited by 12 publications

References 20 publications

Hematological and Biochemical Changes in Dogs Naturally Infected With Dirofilaria repens

Hematological and Biochemical Changes in Dogs Naturally Infected With Dirofilaria repens

Case Studies of Severe Microfilaremia in Four Dogs Naturally Infected With Dirofilaria repens as the Primary Disease or a Disease Complicating Factor

First Molecular Detection of Dirofilaria immitis and D. repens in Dogs from Kyrgyzstan

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