Identity of Microfilariae Circulating in Dogs from Western and South-Western Romania in the Last Decade

Giubega, Simona; Imre, M.; Ilie, M. S.; Imre, K.; Luca, Iasmına; Florea, Tiana; Dărăbuş, G.; Morariu, Sorın

doi:10.3390/pathogens10111400

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 55 publications

(69 reference statements)

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“…In the western and south-western regions, Giubega et al [76] reported a prevalence of 9.74%, most of them microfilaremic. In Arges , County (centre/south of the country), the prevalence showed was 6.7% [77]. The highest prevalence was shown in Galati, in the southeast, 42.2% of the studied dogs being infected [78].…”

Section: Endemic Areas (■) and Sporadic Cases Reported (■) )mentioning

confidence: 81%

What Has Happened to Heartworm Disease in Europe in the Last 10 Years?

et al. 2022

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Heartworm disease caused by Dirofilaria immitis is a vector-borne disease that affects canids and felids, both domestic and wild, throughout the world. It is a chronic disease which causes vascular damage in pulmonary arteries, and in advanced stages, the presence of pulmonary hypertension and right-sided congestive heart failure can be evidenced. Moreover, pulmonary thromboembolism is caused by the death of the worms, which can be lethal for the infected animal. Furthermore, it is the causative agent of human pulmonary dirofilariosis, being a zoonotic disease. The aim of this review was to update the current epidemiological situation of heartworm in Europe in dogs, cats, wild animals, and vectors insects, and to analyse the factors that may have contributed to the continuous spread of the disease in the last decade (2012–2021). In Europe, the disease has extended to eastern countries, being currently endemic in countries where previously only isolated or imported cases were reported. Furthermore, its prevalence has continued to increase in southern countries, traditionally endemic. This distribution trends and changes are influenced by several factors which are discussed in this review, such as the climate changes, presence of vectors in new areas, the appearance of new competent vector species in the continent, increased movement of pets that travelled to or originated from endemic countries, the urbanisation of rural areas leading to the formation of so-called “heat islands”, or the creation of extensive areas of irrigated crops. The continuous expansion of D. immitis must be monitored, and measures adapted to the situation of each country must be carried out for adequate control.

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Section: Endemic Areas (■) and Sporadic Cases Reported (■) )mentioning

confidence: 81%

What Has Happened to Heartworm Disease in Europe in the Last 10 Years?

et al. 2022

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“…The Woo and Knott techniques could generate false-negatives because of low parasitemia, interactions of a single sex of parasites, immaturity of the parasites, ectopic location of the adult worms, and application of microfilaricides, leading to a decrease in the sensitivity of the tests to identify the presence of filariae (46,(48)(49)(50)(51)(52)(53)(54)(55). This is where the identification of antibodies and circulating filarial antigens in blood becomes important (9,16,40,54,(56)(57)(58).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microfilaremic infection in canine filariosis in Colombia: a challenge in morphological and molecular diagnostics

Esteban-Mendoza,

Arcila-Quiceno,

Ríos Chacón

et al. 2024

Front. Vet. Sci.

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Canine filariosis is caused by filiform nematodes and affects several species of animals as well as humans. The disease produces a wide range of symptoms that can often be confused with other diseases, which increases the complexity of its diagnosis. The search for methodologies to facilitate its diagnosis is a challenge, and specific and differential identification of the parasite species causing the disease holds key to a successful diagnosis. In Colombia, there is a problem of underdiagnosis of filariosis in microfilaremic dogs infected by Dirofilaria immitis and Acanthocheilonema reconditum, and of microfilaremias not related to heartworm disease. The highest prevalences have been reported for D. immitis infections, although new cases of A. reconditum infections are beginning to appear. The aim of this study was to differentiate the microfilariae infections caused by D. immitis and A. reconditum by a morphological and molecular characterization of microfilariae so as to facilitate an accurate diagnosis of canine filariosis in the metropolitan area of Bucaramanga (Colombia). For this purpose, 400 blood samples with anticoagulants were collected from the dogs and analyzed with the help of a commercial immunochromatography kit for the detection of D. immitis circulating antigen. The Woo, Knott, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques were employed for determining the parasite count, morphological observation, and molecular identification of microfilariae present in the dogs respectively. The prevalence of microfilaremic dogs in Bucaramanga metropolitan area was 18.75% (75/400). The prevalence of dogs that tested positive for D. immitis in the antigen and in PCR tests was 1.25% (5/400) and 1% (4/400), respectively. Furthermore, the PCR test revealed that 17.75% of the microfilaremic dogs tested positive for A. reconditum (71/400) (first report in the metropolitan area of Bucaramanga), with one animal co-infected by both species, and 0% for D. repens (0/400). However, by morphological characterization, 4% of the microfilariae (3/75) corresponded to D. immitis, 20% (15/75) to D. repens, and 76% (57/75) to A. reconditum. The use of molecular diagnostic methods such as PCR aids in the specific identification of the parasite, thus making it a more accurate method than the morphological characterization of microfilariae. The identification of the parasites by PCR helps improve the veterinary diagnosis of canine filariosis in Colombia, which would lead to the establishment of an appropriate treatment protocol for each species of filaria and also to the generation of reliable data to be used at the clinical and epidemiological levels.

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