Pană D, Rădulescu A, Mitrea I L, Ionita M
Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases & Animal Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 105 Splaiul Independentei, 5th district, 050097, Bucharest, Romania.
Helminthologia. 2020 Jan 25;57(1):49-56. doi: 10.2478/helm-2020-0009. eCollection 2020 Mar.
(Nematoda: Filarioidea) is the causative agent of heartworm disease (HWD), a severe and potentially fatal condition in dogs. Although cats are considered more resistant to infection than dogs, they are also susceptible to heartworm infection. Moreover, the clinical importance of feline dirofilariosis has increased in recent years, especially in heartworm endemic areas. In contrast to dog, definitive antemortem diagnosis of heartworm infection in cat is difficult to achieve and a combination of testing methods must be used for clinical confirmation. Here we describe a clinical case of heartworm infection in a 12-year-old male mixed breed cat, originated from Southern Romania, which was referred to a veterinary clinic with a history of vomiting and clinical signs of respiratory distress. The thoracic radiograph showed a diffuse bronchointerstitial pattern of the pulmonary parenchyma. The serological test for circulating antibody was positive and heartworms were visualized by echocardiography in the main pulmonary artery. In conclusion, the present study clearly shows that cats are at risk for infection in heartworm-endemic areas in Romania. Additionally, the findings highlight the urgent need for increased awareness among veterinary practitioners of the existence of feline heartworm diseases and for adequate prophylactic measures to be applied. To our knowledge, this is the first report on clinical evolution and radiographic and echocardiographic features of a naturally heartworm-infected cat in Romania.
（线虫纲：丝虫亚纲）是犬心丝虫病（HWD）的病原体，犬心丝虫病是一种严重且可能致命的犬类疾病。尽管猫被认为比狗更不易感染，但它们也易受心丝虫感染。此外，近年来猫类恶丝虫病的临床重要性有所增加，尤其是在犬心丝虫病流行地区。与狗不同，猫心丝虫感染的生前确诊很难实现，必须结合多种检测方法进行临床确诊。在此，我们描述一例12岁雄性混种猫的心丝虫感染临床病例，该猫来自罗马尼亚南部，因呕吐病史和呼吸窘迫临床症状被转诊至一家兽医诊所。胸部X光片显示肺实质呈弥漫性支气管间质性病变。循环抗体血清学检测呈阳性，通过超声心动图在主肺动脉中发现了心丝虫。总之，本研究清楚地表明，罗马尼亚的心丝虫病流行地区的猫有感染风险。此外，这些发现凸显了迫切需要提高兽医从业者对猫心丝虫病存在的认识，并采取适当的预防措施。据我们所知，这是罗马尼亚首例关于自然感染心丝虫的猫的临床病程以及X光和超声心动图特征的报告。
