Purpose: Medical and veterinary filarial nematodes are transmitted by blood-feeding vectors. In dogs, these parasites are mainly represented by nematodes in which microfilariae dwell in the blood (Dirofilaria spp. and Acanthocheilonema spp.) or skin (Cercopithifilaria spp. and Onchocerca lupi). The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of these filarial infections in dogs residing in a touristic, heavily populated location in the northeastern region of Brazil.
Methods: Blood samples (n = 245) were assessed by a modified Knott test, followed by a qualitative ELISA test (SNAP® 4Dx® Plus, IDEXX Laboratory, Westbrook, Maine, USA) for the detection of antibodies against Anaplasma spp., Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Ehrlichia spp. and antigens of Dirofilaria immitis. Skin samples (n = 71) were microscopically examined and molecularly assessed through a PCR targeting the 12 S rRNA gene.
Results: Microfilariae and antigen of D. immitis were detected simultaneously in 15 (6.1%; 95% CI = 3.7-9.8) animals. Nine animals (3.6%; 95% CI = 1.9-6.8) were D. immitis antigen positive but microfilariae negative and nine other animals (3.6%; 95% CI = 1.9-6.8) were microfilariae positive but D. immitis antigen negative. D. immitis positive dogs were found in four different municipalities. No filarioids were detected in the skin after microscopical and molecular analyses.
Conclusion: Data from this study demonstrate that D. immitis is the main filarial nematode infecting dogs in coastal areas in northeastern Brazil. Based on the potential risk of infection in which animals are submitted, it is essential to perform tests to detect microfilariae and D. immitis antigen. Preventive measures must be adopted by using microfilaricidal compounds and anti-feeding insecticides to prevent canine infection.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11686-024-00834-x | DOI Listing |
Parasit Vectors
December 2024
Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH, Binger Str. 173, 55216, Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany.
Background: Two studies were conducted assessing the efficacy of NexGard® PLUS (NP) in preventing heartworm disease. Study 1 evaluated the efficacy of six monthly doses of NP or Simparica Trio® (ST) against a macrocyclic lactone-resistant isolate of heartworm, Dirofilaria immitis, and study 2 evaluated the efficacy of a single dose of NP against a susceptible isolate.
Methods: In two studies, dogs that were negative for heartworms by antigen test and modified Knott's test were used.
Parasitol Res
December 2024
Pharmacology and Pharmacy Section, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica.
Dirofilaria immitis is a zoonotic vector-borne parasite that causes heartworm disease most commonly in canines. Although present in the Caribbean, no published work exists from Jamaica. Therefore, the aim of our study was to evaluate the prevalence of D.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnimals (Basel)
December 2024
S.S. Genova e Portualità Marittima, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Piazza Borgo Pila 39-24, 16129 Genova, Italy.
Canine vector-borne diseases (CVBDs) pose a global threat to both canine and public health. This study evaluates the prevalence of spp., spp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnimals (Basel)
November 2024
Zoonotic Diseases and One Health Group, Faculty of Pharmacy, Biomedical Research Institute of Salamanca (IBSAL), Centre for Environmental Studies and Rural Dynamization (CEADIR), University of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain.
Heartworm disease, caused by is a vector-borne zoonotic disease, (mainly affecting canids and felids) causing chronic vascular and pulmonary pathology in its early stages, which worsens with parasite load and/or death of adult worms in the pulmonary artery or right heart cavity, and can be fatal to the host. Angiogenesis is a mechanism by which new blood vessels are formed from existing ones. The aim of this work was to study the effect of two molecules of the excretory/secretory antigen (DiES) on the angiogenic process, taking into account that this antigen is able to interact with this process and use it as a survival mechanism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Res Parasitol Vector Borne Dis
October 2024
Vetoquinol SA, 37 Rue de la Victoire, 75009, Paris, France.
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