Kotnik Tina, Rataj Aleksandra Vergles, Šoba Barbara
Small Animal Clinic, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Institute of Microbiology and Parasitology, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
J Vet Res. 2022 Mar 1;66(1):117-123. doi: 10.2478/jvetres-2022-0008. eCollection 2022 Mar.
The prevalence of in dogs in countries bordering Slovenia ranges from 1.5% to 47.3%. The aim of this study was to estimate its prevalence in Slovenian dogs and to present the cases of dirofilariasis diagnosed in humans from 2010 to 2020.
Epidemiological data were collected and blood samples were taken from 465 dogs older than one year and born in Slovenia. A real-time PCR was performed on all samples to detect filarioid DNA, and a -and -specific real-time PCR was performed on positive samples. Blood samples from 446 dogs were tested for spp. using a modified Knott's test. Human cases were diagnosed from histological sections of excised subcutaneous nodules. Descriptive statistics were used to characterise the samples. The one-sample nonparametric chi-squared test was used to assess whether categories of a variable were equally distributed.
Three dogs' samples tested positive for using the species-specific real-time PCR, while DNA was not detected. The modified Knott's test was positive in two of the three PCR-positive dogs, two of which had never travelled outside Slovenia's borders. Four human patients with dirofilariasis were diagnosed. Since their travel history was unknown, autochthonous transmission could not be confirmed.
Our study demonstrated a 0.64% prevalence of infection in dogs in Slovenia. Two cases could be autochthonous.
斯洛文尼亚接壤国家犬类的患病率在1.5%至47.3%之间。本研究的目的是估计其在斯洛文尼亚犬类中的患病率，并呈现2010年至2020年期间人类诊断出的丝虫病病例。
收集流行病学数据，并从465只一岁以上且出生在斯洛文尼亚的犬类身上采集血样。对所有样本进行实时PCR以检测丝状虫DNA，对阳性样本进行α和β特异性实时PCR。使用改良的Knott试验对446只犬的血样进行检测以查找微丝蚴属物种。通过切除的皮下结节的组织切片诊断人类病例。使用描述性统计来表征样本。使用单样本非参数卡方检验来评估变量的类别是否均匀分布。
三只犬的样本通过物种特异性实时PCR检测呈阳性，而未检测到微丝蚴DNA。改良的Knott试验在三只PCR阳性犬中的两只呈阳性，其中两只从未出过斯洛文尼亚边境。诊断出四名人类患者患有犬恶丝虫病。由于他们的旅行史未知，无法确认本地传播。
我们的研究表明斯洛文尼亚犬类中犬恶丝虫感染的患病率为0.64%。两例可能为本地感染。
