Department of Eco-Epidemiology of Parasitic Diseases, Institute of Developmental Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 1 Miecznikowa Street, 02-096, Warsaw, Poland.
Department of Infection and Invasive Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Technology in Animal Husbandry, State Agrarian and Engineering University in Podilia, 13 Shevcnenka Street, Kamianets-Podilskyi, 32300, Ukraine.
Sci Rep. 2021 Jan 13;11(1):1068. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-80208-1.
Dirofilariasis is a fast-spreading disease of dogs and humans in Europe. We investigated whether Dirofilaria spp. have spread northwards in Europe, invading the Baltic countries. Altogether, 424 blood samples were collected from eight countries in the period 2017-2019, including 227 samples from sled dogs and 197 samples from other dogs. PCR amplification and sequencing were conducted employing three genetic markers (mitochondrial [mt] 12S rDNA, mt cytochrome c oxidase subunit I [COI] gene and mt dehydrogenase subunit I [NAD1] gene). The SNAP test (IDEXX) for detection of D. immitis infections was also implemented. The DNA of D. repens was detected in 59 of 424 dogs (prevalence 13.9%). D. repens was found in sled dogs from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Belarus. Only one dog from Estonia was infected, apparently an imported case. The highest prevalence was recorded in Lithuania (38%). Among pet dogs from the Ukraine, six dogs tested positive (3.8%). Our study has revealed a high prevalence of D. repens infections in Lithuania and Latvia, but no evidence for spread of the heartworm D. immitis. We conclude that sled dog kennels constitute hot spots for D. repens transmission.
犬心丝虫病在欧洲的犬类和人类中迅速传播。我们研究了犬心丝虫是否已经向北传播到欧洲，侵入波罗的海国家。2017 年至 2019 年期间，共从 8 个国家采集了 424 份血液样本，其中 227 份来自雪橇犬，197 份来自其他犬类。采用 3 种遗传标记物（线粒体 12S rDNA、线粒体细胞色素 c 氧化酶亚基 I [COI]基因和线粒体脱氢酶亚基 I [NAD1]基因）进行 PCR 扩增和测序。还实施了 IDEXX 的 SNAP 检测（用于检测犬恶丝虫感染）。在 424 只狗中检测到 59 只狗（13.9%）的旋毛虫 DNA。在来自立陶宛、拉脱维亚、波兰和白俄罗斯的雪橇犬中发现了旋毛虫。只有一只来自爱沙尼亚的狗被感染，显然是进口病例。立陶宛的患病率最高（38%）。在来自乌克兰的宠物犬中，有 6 只狗检测呈阳性（3.8%）。我们的研究表明，立陶宛和拉脱维亚的旋毛虫感染率很高，但没有证据表明犬恶丝虫传播。我们得出结论，雪橇犬养殖场是旋毛虫传播的热点。
