Keywords
How to Cite
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the presence of Dirofilaria immitis microfilaremia in dogs from two regions of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where heartworm infections are highly prevalent. Blood samples were collected from dogs aged > 12 months, independent of the use of preventatives. All samples obtained and analyzed using Knott’s modified test by the investigators. A total of 133 blood samples were tested, and D. immitis microfilariae were detected in 29 of them, resulting in an occurrence of 21.8%. The percentage of dogs with microfilaremia detected raises concerns for pet families, one health professionals, and small animal practitioners. Microfilaremic dogs are the richest source of infection for the mosquitoes, increasing the risk of transmission. Therefore, the stakeholders in One Health must raise concerns regarding the health of wild animals, as wild canids and other species of wild animals are exposed to the risk of D. immitis infection. In addition, humans can get infected and develop human pulmonary dirofilariasis. In conclusion, the presence of dogs with microfilaremia potentiates opportunities for D. immitis transmission, exposing all animals, wild or domestic, human or non-human to the disease.
References
Boreham, P. F. L., & Atwell, R. B. (1998). Dirofilariais. CRC Press.
DiGangi, B. A. (2020). The American Heartworm Society and Association of Shelter Veterinarians’ 2019 shelter heartworm management practices survey. Veterinary Parasitology, 282, 109130. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j. vetpar.2020.109130. PMid:32470870.
Hays, K. M., Rodriguez, J. Y., Little, S. E., Litster, A. L., Mwacalimba, K. K., Sundstrom, K. D., Amodie, D. M., Serrano, M. A., Guerios, S. D., Lane, J. N., & Levy, J. K. (2020). Heartworm prevalence in dogs versus cats: Multiple diagnostic modalities provide new insights. Veterinary Parasitology, 277(Suppl.), 100027. http://dx.doi. org/10.1016/j.vpoa.2020.100027. PMid:32904770.
Ionică, A. M., Matei, I. A., D’Amico, G., Daskalaki, A. A., Juránková, J., Ionescu, D. T., Mihalca, A. D., Modrý, D., & Gherman, C. M. (2016). Role of golden jackals (Canis aureus) as natural reservoirs of Dirofilaria spp. in Romania. Parasites & Vectors, 9(1), 240. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13071-016-1524-3. PMid:27121617.
Kramer, L. H., Tamarozzi, F., Morchón, R., López-Belmonte, J., Marcos-Atxutegi, C., Martín-Pacho, R., & Simón, F. (2005). Immune response to and tissue localization of the Wolbachia surface protein (WSP) in dogs with natural heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) infection. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology, 106(3-4), 303-308. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetimm.2005.03.011. PMid:15876457.
Labarthe, N. V., Paiva, J. P., Reifur, L., Mendes-de-Almeida, F., Merlo, A., Pinto, C. J. C., Juliani, P. S., Almeida, M. A. O., & Alves, L. C. (2014). Updated canine infection rates for Dirofilaria immitis in areas of Brazil previously identified as having a high incidence of heartworm-infected dogs. Parasites & Vectors, 7(1), 493. http://dx.doi. org/10.1186/s13071-014-0493-7. PMid:25376238.
Lok, J. (1988). Taxonomy and distribution. In P. F. L. Boreham & R. B. Atwell (Eds.), Dirofilariasis (p. 249). CRC Press.
Magi, M., Calderini, P., Gabrielli, S., Dell’Omodarme, M., Macchioni, F., Prati, M. C., & Cancrini, G. (2008). Vulpes vulpes: A possible wild reservoir for zoonotic filariae. Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, 8(2), 249-252. http:// dx.doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2007.0207. PMid:18260788.
Mckay, T., Bianco, T., Rhodes, L., & Barnett, S. (2013). Prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis (Nematoda: Filarioidea) in mosquitoes from Northeast Arkansas, the United States. Journal of Medical Entomology, 50(4), 871-878. http://dx.doi.org/10.1603/ME12197. PMid:23926787.
Mendes-de-Almeida, F., Alves, L. C., Fernandes, P. A., Leivas, R. M., & Labarthe, N. (2021). Infection with Dirofilaria immitis and other infections in cats and dogs from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: The need for prophylactic enforcement. Acta Parasitologica, 66(3), 962-968. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11686-021-00345-z. PMid:33733387.
Moraes-da-Silva, M. F. C. V., Mendes-de-Almeida, F., Abdalla, L., Merlo, A., Paiva, J. P., & Labarthe, N. V. (2016). Selamectin for the prevention of canine Dirofilaria immitis infection: Field efficacy in client-owned dogs in a high risk area. Parasites & Vectors, 9(1), 407. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13071-016-1697-9. PMid:27450482.
Newton, W. L., & Wright, W. H. (1956). The occurrence of a dog filariid other than Dirofilaria immitis in the United States. The Journal of Parasitology, 42(3), 246-258. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3274849. PMid:13332492.
Paras, K. L., Little, S. E., Reichard, M. V., & Reiskind, M. H. (2012). Detection of Dirofilaria immitis and Ehrlichia species in coyotes (Canis latrans), from rural Oklahoma and Texas. Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, 12(7), 619-621. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2011.0815. PMid:22448722.
Ryan, S., Bacon, H., Endenburg, N., Hazel, S., Jouppi, R., Lee, N., Seksel, K., & Takashima, G. (2019). WSAVA animal welfare guidelines. The Journal of Small Animal Practice, 60(5), E1-E46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jsap.12998. PMid:31026337
Simón, F., Prieto, G., Morchón, R., Bazzocchi, C., Bandi, C., & Genchi, C. (2003). Immunoglobulin G antibodies against the endosymbionts of filarial nematodes (Wolbachia) in patients with pulmonary dirofilariasis. Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, 10(1), 180-181. http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/CDLI.10.1.180-181.2003. PMid:12522059.
Verdonschot, P. F. M., & Besse-Lototskaya, A. A. (2014). Flight distance of mosquitoes (Culicidae): A metadata analysis to support the management of barrier zones around rewetted and newly constructed wetlands. Limnologica, 45, 69-79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.limno.2013.11.002.
Zohdy, S., Boersma, M., Walden, H. S., & Blagburn, B. (2019). Do canids infected with dirofilaria immitis release unique volatile organic compounds in their breath? In World Association for the Advancements of Veterinary Parasitology (Org.), 27th Conference of the World Association for the Advancements of Veterinary Parasitology (pp. 31-32). World Association for the Advancements of Veterinary Parasitology.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2023 Bruno Alberigi, Esmael Carvalho Junior, Flavya Mendes-de-Almeida, Norma Labarthe, Fabio Barbour Scott