<abstract xml:lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>In the Czech Republic, canine dirofilarial infection (Dirofilaria immitis and D. repens) is usually diagnosed in dogs coming from endemic areas and as such has been considered an imported infection. Here, 77 dogs that had never travelled abroad from the Břeclav area, close to Slovak border, were tested for Dirofilaria spp. infection. The presence of microfilaria in peripheral blood was detected by Knott test. Microfilariae were further examined by acid phosphatase staining and molecular methods (PCR). The presence of adult female D. immitis circulating antigens in blood was assessed by a commercial kit (PetChek, IDEXX Laboratories, Portland, USA). Microfilariae were detected in 7 (9 %) out of the 77 animals by the Knott test. The result of the acid phosphatase staining and PCR for all seven samples agreed with Dirofilaria repens species. Other five dogs of the 77 sera (6.5 %) sampled were serologically positive for circulating D. immitis antigens. No D. immitis microfilariae were found in these five dogs. D. repens positive dogs were negative on the ELISA for D. immitis. This is the first report of autochthonous cases of heart-worm disease and subcutaneous dirofilariosis in dogs in the Czech Republic.</p></abstract>

In the Czech Republic, canine dirofilarial infection (Dirofilaria immitis and D. repens) is usually diagnosed in dogs coming from endemic areas and as such has been considered an imported infection. Here, 77 dogs that had never travelled abroad from the Břeclav area, close to Slovak border, were tested for Dirofilaria spp. infection. The presence of microfilaria in peripheral blood was detected by Knott test. Microfilariae were further examined by acid phosphatase staining and molecular methods (PCR). The presence of adult female D. immitis circulating antigens in blood was assessed by a commercial kit (PetChek, IDEXX Laboratories, Portland, USA). Microfilariae were detected in 7 (9 %) out of the 77 animals by the Knott test. The result of the acid phosphatase staining and PCR for all seven samples agreed with Dirofilaria repens species. Other five dogs of the 77 sera (6.5 %) sampled were serologically positive for circulating D. immitis antigens. No D. immitis microfilariae were found in these five dogs. D. repens positive dogs were negative on the ELISA for D. immitis. This is the first report of autochthonous cases of heart-worm disease and subcutaneous dirofilariosis in dogs in the Czech Republic.

The first report of authochthonous dirofilariosis in dogs in the Czech Republic

Small Animal Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Palackého 1/3, 612 42, Brno, Czech Republic

Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Czech Republic

Dipartimento di Patologia Animale, Igiene e Sanità Pubblica Veterinaria, Universita DegliStudi di Milano, Italy

Institute of Wildlife Ecology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Czech Republic

Helminthologia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"The first report of authochthonous dirofilariosis in dogs in the Czech Republic"}

In the Czech Republic, canine dirofilarial infection (Dirofilaria immitis and D. repens) is usually diagnosed in dogs coming from endemic areas and as such has...

The first report of authochthonous dirofilariosis in dogs in the Czech Republic

Published Online: Dec 01, 2006

Page range: 242 - 245

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s11687-006-0046-5

Keywords
Dirofilaria repens, Dirofilaria immitis, dog, autochthonous infection

© 2006 Institute of Parasitology, SAS, Košice, Slovakia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The first report of authochthonous dirofilariosis in dogs in the Czech Republic

Published Online: Dec 01, 2006

Page range: 242 - 245

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s11687-006-0046-5

KeywordsDirofilaria repens, Dirofilaria immitis, dog, autochthonous infection

© 2006 Institute of Parasitology, SAS, Košice, Slovakia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Dirofilaria repens, Dirofilaria immitis, dog, autochthonous infection