Tierklinik Sattledt Traunkeis Vet Clinic OG, Kirchdorfer Staße 7, 4642, Sattledt, Austria.
Institute of Parasitology, Department of Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria.
Parasitol Res. 2020 Mar;119(3):1001-1009. doi: 10.1007/s00436-019-06576-4. Epub 2020 Feb 13.
A retrospective study based on cases of canine dirofilariosis presented to the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna or diagnosed by private practitioners throughout Austria, from 1998 to 2018 was conducted to investigate the long-term development and current state of canine dirofilarial infections in Austria. Included in this study were 146 dogs which were tested positive for D. immitis and/or D. repens. The most commonly used diagnostic methods and the probable geographical origins of the infections were evaluated and the treatment protocols applied were compared with each other and with the literature. The results show that most infections were found due to screening for common travel infections using antigen-ELISA or PCR-testing, or by the incidental finding of microfilariae. Remarkably, only 24.3% of all cases presented showed clinical signs indicating canine dirofilariosis. Regarding the origin and travel history of the dogs, thirteen different countries could be identified. The three treatment protocols used showed a similar outcome after 8 months of treatment and minor side effects, which is consistent with the literature. An alarming increase in reported infections with both D. immitis and D. repens in Austria was noted since 2014. The number of documented cases had almost tripled by 2018, raising severe concerns about the threat of it becoming endemic in Austria. Therefore, the existing recommendations in current guidelines regarding canine dirofilariosis should be widely publicised and more strictly enforced. Prophylactic measures for dogs travelling abroad and diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for dogs imported from endemic countries should be obligatorily established throughout Europe, to reduce the risk of further spread of canine filarial infections to non-endemic regions.
本研究对 1998 年至 2018 年期间在维也纳兽医学院就诊或在奥地利私人诊所诊断的犬心丝虫病病例进行了回顾性研究，以调查奥地利犬心丝虫病的长期发展和现状。本研究纳入了 146 例犬心丝虫病感染阳性的犬。本研究评估了最常用的诊断方法和可能的感染来源，并对所应用的治疗方案进行了比较，且与文献进行了对比。结果表明，大多数感染是通过抗原 ELISA 或 PCR 检测筛查常见旅行感染，或偶然发现微丝蚴而发现的。值得注意的是，所有病例中只有 24.3%表现出犬心丝虫病的临床症状。关于犬的来源和旅行史，可确定来自 13 个不同的国家。三种治疗方案在 8 个月的治疗后显示出相似的结果和轻微的副作用，这与文献一致。自 2014 年以来，奥地利报告的心丝虫感染病例数量显著增加，包括犬心丝虫和犬恶丝虫。到 2018 年，记录的病例数几乎增加了两倍，这引起了对该病在奥地利流行的严重担忧。因此，应广泛宣传现行指南中有关犬心丝虫病的建议，并更严格地执行。应在整个欧洲制定预防性措施，以减少犬心丝虫病向非流行地区进一步传播的风险。
