Hematological characteristics of autochthonous hypermicrofilaremic dirofilariosis in dogs in Kannur District of Kerala.

Unlabelled: This study aimed to determine whether autochthonous high-intensity microfilaremia leads to haematological changes in companion dogs. Dogs with hypermicrofilaremia presented to the District Veterinary Centre, Kannur were selected for the study. A total of 100 dogs were positive for hypermicrofilariaemia with based on peripheral blood smear examination and Knott's test. Of these, 3 dogs were concurrently positive for sheathed microfilaria (MF) of spp. Interestingly, an adult live worm of approximately eight cm in length was detected on a subcutaneous mass on the hind limb of a hypermicrofilaremic dog in the study. We compared the hematological parameters of 100 autochthonous hypermicrofilaremic dogs and 15 uninfected dogs. The hematological findings in the study are mild to moderate anemia, moderate to severe thrombocytopenia, leucocytosis with granulocytosis, lymphocytosis and monocytosis as compared to the uninfected group of dogs. The pathogenicity of naturally occurring hypermicrofilaremia is poorly studied, and knowledge of its epidemiology, host-parasite relationship and impact on various organs is warranted for better prevention and control, especially in hot-spot areas.

Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12639-023-01622-6.