Dirofilaria repens in dogs and humans in Slovenia

Kotnik, Tina (author), Vergles-Rataj, Aleksandra (author), Šoba, Barbara (author)

Introduction: The prevalence of Dirofilaria repens in dogs in countries bordering Slovenia ranges from 1.5% to 47.3%. The aim of this study was to estimate its prevalence in Slovenian dogs and to present the cases of dirofilariasis diagnosed in humans from 2010 to 2020. Material and Methods: Epidemiological data were collected and blood samples were taken from 465 dogs older than one year and born in Slovenia. A real-time PCR was performed on all samples to detect filarioid DNA, and a D. repens- and D. immitis-specific real-time PCR was performed on positive samples. Blood samples from 446 dogs were tested for Dirofilaria spp. using a modified Knott’s test. Human cases were diagnosed from histological sections of excised subcutaneous nodules. Descriptive statistics were used to characterise the samples. The one-sample nonparametric chi-squared test was used to assess whether categories of a variable were equally distributed. Results: Three dogs’ samples tested positive for D. repens using the species-specific real-time PCR, while D. immitis DNA was not detected. The modified Knott’s test was positive in two of the three PCR-positive dogs, two of which had never travelled outside Slovenia’s borders. Four human patients with D. repens dirofilariasis were diagnosed. Since their travel history was unknown, autochthonous transmission could not be confirmed. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated a 0.64% prevalence of D. repens infection in dogs in Slovenia. Two cases could be autochthonous.

• Language: English
• Keywords: dirofilariasis, D. repens, prevalence, dogs, humans
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: VF - Veterinary Faculty; MF - Faculty of Medicine
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2022
• Number of pages: 7 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 66, no. 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-135577
• UDC: 616
• ISSN on article: 2450-7393
• DOI: 10.2478/jvetres-2022-0008
• COBISS.SI-ID: 101420291
• Publication date in RUL: 21.03.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Journal of Veterinary Research
• Shortened title: J. Vet. Res.
• Publisher: National Veterinary Research Institute
• ISSN: 2450-7393
• COBISS.SI-ID: 4727418

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 21.03.2022