Miterpáková Martina, Iglódyová Adriana, Čabanová Viktória, Stloukal Eduard, Miklisová Dana
Institute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01, Košice, Slovakia.
University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Košice, Slovakia.
Parasitol Res. 2016 Jun;115(6):2389-95. doi: 10.1007/s00436-016-4989-2. Epub 2016 Mar 28.
The study presents the comprehensive results of a detailed epidemiological study on canine dirofilariosis in Slovakia, Central Europe. More than 4000 dogs were investigated, and several epidemiological factors were considered. The mean prevalence in individual regions ranged from 2.0 % in northern Slovakia to more than 25.0 % in the south-western part of the country, with the nematode Dirofilaria repens confirmed as the dominant causative agent. Canine dirofilariosis occurred more often in animals more than 3 years old and in dogs of large and giant breed sizes. Short-haired animals were infected more often than dogs with a long coat. Also, the infection was significantly more prevalent in animals kept in rural areas in comparison with urban environments.Counts of microfilariae (mf) in peripheral blood reached their highest levels in May and August and corresponded to activity peaks and population maximums of potential vectors, the mosquito species Aedes vexans and Culex pipiens, the two most prevalent species in Slovakia. Moreover, two dogs naturally infested with D. repens were included in the experiment in order to monitor daily microfilarial periodicity. This fluctuation showed the same tendency in both animals, with a peak of circulating mf recorded at 4 a.m. and minimal mf counts at 4 p.m.
该研究展示了对中欧斯洛伐克犬恶丝虫病进行详细流行病学研究的全面结果。研究调查了4000多只犬，并考虑了多个流行病学因素。各个地区的平均患病率从斯洛伐克北部的2.0%到该国西南部的超过25.0%不等，其中确认蟠尾丝虫为主要病原体。犬恶丝虫病在3岁以上的动物以及大型和巨型犬种中更为常见。短毛动物比长毛犬更容易感染。此外，与城市环境相比，农村地区饲养的动物感染率明显更高。外周血中微丝蚴（mf）数量在5月和8月达到最高水平，这与潜在传播媒介、斯洛伐克最常见的两种蚊种——骚扰伊蚊和致倦库蚊的活动高峰和种群最大值相对应。此外，为监测每日微丝蚴周期性，实验纳入了两只自然感染蟠尾丝虫的犬。两只动物的这种波动呈现相同趋势，循环微丝蚴数量在凌晨4点达到峰值，下午4点微丝蚴数量最少。
