Heartworm disease in domestic dogs in Estonia: indication of local circulation of the zoonotic parasite Dirofilaria immitis farther north than previously reported.
Parasit Vectors
; 17(1): 124, 2024 Mar 12.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38475885
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The mosquito-borne zoonotic parasite Dirofilaria immitis continues to spread northwards in Europe. This parasite can cause potentially life-threatening heartworm disease in dogs and pulmonary dirofilariasis in humans and is, therefore, a major health concern in both the veterinary medicine and human medical fields. This is the first report of D. immitis infections and heartworm disease in the Baltic country Estonia.METHODS:
Data on canine D. immitis infections and heartworm disease were collected from the electronic patient records database of the Small Animal Clinic of Estonian University of Life Sciences, the only university clinic in Estonia. The patient records of dogs with confirmed diagnosis of D. immitis infection or heartworm disease were reviewed and summarised.RESULTS:
Six dogs had been diagnosed with confirmed D. immitis infection or heartworm disease at the university clinic in 2021-2022. The confirmed diagnoses had been reached following international guidelines, based on a combination of different tests. Molecular confirmation of the parasite species had not been performed. Two of the dogs had been imported while four had no travel history outside of the country.CONCLUSIONS:
Four of the dogs with a confirmed D. immitis infection or heartworm disease had no history of being imported or travelling outside of the country, indicating autochthonous infections and, consequently, local circulation of the parasite in Estonia. These findings represent the new northernmost autochthonous cases of D. immitis infection and canine heartworm disease reported in the European Union.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Parasitos
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Dirofilaria immitis
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Dirofilariose
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Doenças do Cão
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article