Published in Scientific Works. Series C. Veterinary Medicine, Vol. LXI
Written by Gina Teodora GIRDAN, Roxana Georgiana ANGHEL, Mariana IONITA, Ioan Liviu MITREA
Heartworm disease is a serious cardiovascular and potentially fatal condition characterized by the presence of nematode Dirofilaria immitis in different developmental stages, found both in peripheral circulation, represented by microfilariae, and pulmonary artery and the right heart, represented by adult parasites. Diagnosis and identification of Dirofilaria species is complex involving antigen detection and microfilarial recognition. Therefore it is important for both animals and humans, improvement of rapid and efficient diagnostic protocols being a really powerful objective for epidemiological study progress.The purpose of the present study was to determine the exposure to D. immitis infection and other arthropod-borne pathogens of dogs living in Bucharest’ adjacent area. For this we used modified Knott’s technique and a point-of-care immunochromatographic test SNAP®4Dx® Plus. The modified Knott test is a concentration test that relies on lysing red blood cells and fixation of microfilariae for morphological examination, while, SNAP®4Dx® Plus represents an in-clinic diagnostic test that simultaneously screens dogs for 4 vector-borne diseases, including - Dirofilaria immitis antigen, and Ehrlichia canis, Ehrlichia ewingii, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Anaplasma platys and Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies. A total of 175 dogs from Bucharest’s adjacent area were included in the study. Of them, 21.14% were positive for D. immitis antigens. However, the modified Knott technique revealed a total of 16.57% samples positive for microfilariae of which 10.28% were D.immitis mf, 4.57%, D.repens mf. and 1.71% Acanthocheilonema mf. Additionally, 3.42% of dogs were positive for Anaplasma spp. antibodies, 1.14% for Ehrlichia spp, and 0.57% respectively, for B. burgdoferi. In conclusion D.immitis infection in dogs from the greatest area of Bucharest is threatening high and therefore treatment and prophylaxis are needed to decrease the risks of disease since apparently healthy dogs harboring parasite serve as a reservoir of infection for other animals.
[Read full article] [Citation]
