Report of Dirofilaria immitis infection with acute cardiopulmonary complications in a cat from Northeastern Brazil

Abstract

Dirofilariasis is a zoonotic disease caused by Dirofilaria immitis, a nematode found mainly in the pulmonary artery and right chambers of the heart, lungs, and large vessels of dogs. This parasitism also occasionally occurs in cats, causing an amicrofilaremic and asymptomatic infection, resulting in severe illness and rapid death. In this case report, it was described acute clinical signs and histopathological alterations in a domestic cat with heartworm disease from the city of Mossoró, the Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The nematode species, D. immitis, was confirmed by morphological and molecular analyses. This is the first documented and full report of feline heartworm disease in northeastern Brazil.

Dirofilaria immitis parasite infection in cats: first case reported in the Legal Amazon region, Brazil - case report

“…In Brazil, there have been reports of feline heartworm disease in the states of Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Norte (Alberigi et al 2020;Branco et al, 2009;Moraes et al, 2021;Pereira et al, 2018;). Our study provides the first report in the state of Maranhão, Legal Amazon region, thus increasing the known geographical area of feline heartworm disease in Brazil.…”