New insights into the biology, diagnosis and immune response to Dirofilaria repens in the canine host

Ciucă, Lavinia; Vismarra, Alice; Lebon, W.; Beugnet, Frédéric; Morchón, Rodrigo; Rinaldi, Laura; Cringoli, Giuseppe; Kramer, Laura; Genchi, Marco

doi:10.1016/j.vpoa.2020.100029

Cited by 14 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Diro laria somatic antigens ELISA were successfully used in several previous studies [28][29][30][31] , and we showed it might be applied to diagnose cases without presence of micro lariae in the blood. The length of prepatent period varies depending on the study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Petry et al 32 reported that in experimentally infected dogs, prepatency lasts 169 to even 256 days post infection (dpi). In contrast, the others report patency beginning at 220-281 dpi, con rmed by molecular method and at 245-288 dpi established by Knott's test 31 . Thus, in the rst 5-9 months of infection, both described methods (Knott and PCR tests) are ineffective.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Thus, in the rst 5-9 months of infection, both described methods (Knott and PCR tests) are ineffective. The use of serodiagnostics might be a better choice as antibody response starts in prepatent period and IgG levels constantly increase with the infection progress 29,31 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Selection of New Diagnostic Markers for Dirofilaria Repens Infections With the Use of Phage Display Technology

Pękacz

Basałaj

Kalinowska

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Dirofilaria repens is a parasitic nematode causing vector-borne disease (dirofilariasis), considered an emerging problem in veterinary and human medicine. Although main hosts are carnivores, particularly dogs, D. repens shows high zoonotic potential. The disease spreads uncontrollably, affecting new areas. Since there is no vaccine against dirofilariasis, the only way to limit disease transmission is an early diagnosis. Currently, diagnosis depends on the detection of microfilariae in the host bloodstream using modified Knott's test or multiplex PCR. However, the efficacy of tests relying on microfilariae detection is limited by microfilariae periodic occurrence. Therefore, a new reliable diagnostic test is required. Our study aimed to select new diagnostic markers for dirofilariasis with potential application in diagnostics. We focused on single epitopes to ensure high specificity of diagnosis and avoid cross-reactivity with the other parasite infections common in dogs. Using phage display technology and 12-mer peptides library, we selected epitopes highly reactive with IgG from sera of infected dogs. Additionally, our study presents the possibility of detecting D. repens specific cell-free DNA in dogs with no microfilaria but high IgG and IgM antibody levels against parasite somatic antigen.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

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Selection of New Diagnostic Markers for Dirofilaria Repens Infections With the Use of Phage Display Technology

Pękacz

Basałaj

Kalinowska

et al. 2021

Preprint

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“…The relative high specificity of commercial Dirofilaria immitis antigen tests is in contrast to the cross-reactive nature of antibody tests historically used for D. immitis [ 6 , 7 ] and more recently described as a diagnostic approach examining human exposure to Dirofilaria sp. [ 8 , 9 ] and potential application for D. repens infected dogs [ 10 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection of heartworm antigen without cross-reactivity to helminths and protozoa following heat treatment of canine serum

et al. 2021

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Background Detection of Dirofilaria immitis, or heartworm, through antigen in sera is the primary means of diagnosing infections in dogs. In recent years, the practice of heat-treating serum prior to antigen testing has demonstrated improved detection of heartworm infection. While the practice of heat-treating serum has resulted in earlier detection and improved sensitivity for heartworm infections, it has been suggested that heat treatment may cause cross reactivity with A. reconditum and intestinal helminth infections of dogs. No studies have assessed the potential cross-reactivity of these parasites with heartworm tests before and after heat treatment using blood products and an appropriate gold standard reference. Methods Canine sera (n=163) was used to evaluate a heartworm antigen-ELISA (DiroCHEK®) and potential cross-reactivity with common parasitic infections. The heartworm status and additional parasite infections were confirmed by necropsy and adult helminth species verified morphologically or by PCR, and feces evaluated by centrifugal fecal flotation. Results Intestinal parasites were confirmed in 140 of the dogs by necropsy, and 130 by fecal flotation. Acanthocheilonema reconditum microfilariae were confirmed in 22 dogs. Prevalence of heartworm infection confirmed by necropsy was 35.6% (58/163). In the 105 dogs without heartworms, specificity remained unchanged at 100% both before and after heat treatment despite confirmed infections with A. reconditum, Ancylostoma caninum, Ancylostoma brasiliense, Trichuris vulpis, Toxocara canis, Dipylidium caninum, Spirometra mansonoides, Macracanthorynchus ingens, Cystoisospora sp., Giardia sp., and Sarcocystis sp. Conclusions These findings suggest that the use of heat treatment improves sensitivity of heartworm tests and is unlikely to cause false positive antigen results due to Acanthocheilonema reconditum, intestinal helminths, and protozoal parasites in dogs. Graphic abstract

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“…Dirofilaria repens, an agent that generally causes subclinical infections, is responsible for subcutaneous dirofilariosis in dogs and it is frequently linked with the presence of adults in subcutaneous tissues, representing the main cause of human dirofilariosis. The clinical signs of this infection in dogs include pruritus, localized alopecia, or cutaneous ulceration [3][4][5][6][7][8][9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2021

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Dirofilaria infections in dogs are recognized as widespread mosquito-borne diseases with zoonotic potential, that are caused by the filarioid nematode (Onchocercidae) species Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens. The long-term survey conducted in western and south-western Romania was undertaken in order to provide valuable data on the occurrence of Dirofilaria infections in dogs. Blood samples from 1088 dogs, originating from 73 localities of 11 western and south-western counties in Romania, were collected and examined using the modified Knott test. Subsequently, all of the microscopically positive samples were subjected to molecular analysis for confirmation. Altogether, the data obtained showed the percentage of dogs with circulating microfilariae to be 21.42% (233/1088) of dogs tested in the investigated region. The identified species, in cases of monoinfections, were D. immitis, D. repens, and Acanthocheilonema reconditum in 106 (9.74%) samples, 102 (9.38%) samples, and 1 (0.09%) sample, respectively. Twenty-four (2.21%) samples were simultaneously positive for D. immitis and D. repens. There was no association (p > 0.05) between infection status and breed; however, sex and lifestyle were positively associated (p < 0.05) with the percentage of dogs with circulating microfilariae and might be regarded as risk factors for infection. The results of the present investigation indicate potential zoonotic risks for humans living in the screened area and support the imperative to increase awareness among both veterinarians and physicians, regarding the continuous spread of these zoonotic filariae.

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New insights into the biology, diagnosis and immune response to Dirofilaria repens in the canine host

Cited by 14 publications

References 43 publications

Selection of New Diagnostic Markers for Dirofilaria Repens Infections With the Use of Phage Display Technology

Selection of New Diagnostic Markers for Dirofilaria Repens Infections With the Use of Phage Display Technology

Detection of heartworm antigen without cross-reactivity to helminths and protozoa following heat treatment of canine serum

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

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