Chocobar Marianna Laura Elis, Schmidt Elizabeth Moreira Dos Santos, Mendes Ângelo Joel Ferreira, Johnson Paul Christopher Duncan, Weir William, Panarese Rossella
School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science (FMVZ), São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rua Prof. Dr. Walter Maurício Corrêa, s/n, Botucatu 18618-681, SP, Brazil.
School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Garscube Estate, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK.
Vet Sci. 2024 Dec 27;12(1):3. doi: 10.3390/vetsci12010003.
Dirofilariosis, a mosquito-borne disease caused by and , affects canids, felids and occasionally humans. Recent evidence suggests that prevalence is rising in the canine populations in several areas of Brazil, even those historically considered to be non-endemic, highlighting the need for ongoing surveillance. However, prevalence studies are frequently based on inference from single diagnostic methods, and it is acknowledged that this may lead to biases and an underestimation of the disease situation. Thus, this cross-sectional study aimed to assess the prevalence of spp. infection in dogs and cats across suburban and urban areas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The investigation was conducted using a multi-diagnostic approach with binomial generalised linear models (GLMs) applied to investigate the association between the occurrence of infection and potential disease determinants. Blood samples from 497 dogs and 107 cats, collected at a veterinary mobile neutering unit, underwent parasitological, serological and molecular testing to detect spp. infections. Among the dog samples, an overall 7.44% tested positive for infection, while was not detected. In contrast, no cat samples tested positive for either parasite species. Prevalence was notably higher in suburban areas (14.47%) than in the urban area of Rio de Janeiro (6.17%) ( = 0.003). Dogs aged over two years had a higher risk of being infected ( < 0.001), while features such as breed, sex, size, coat type, use of macrocyclic lactones or access to outdoor spaces were not found to be predictive factors. This study reinforces the evidence that the prevalence of is increasing in areas previously considered to have low prevalence or to be non-endemic. It also suggests that environmental and socioeconomic factors may play a key role in determining the current epidemiological status of this parasite. These findings highlight the need for increased monitoring in high-risk areas, targeted prevention and public awareness to address this emerging One Health concern.
犬恶丝虫病是一种由犬恶丝虫和匐行恶丝虫引起的蚊媒疾病，可感染犬科动物、猫科动物，偶尔也会感染人类。最近的证据表明，巴西几个地区的犬类种群中，犬恶丝虫病的患病率正在上升，甚至在那些历史上被认为是非地方性流行的地区也是如此，这凸显了持续监测的必要性。然而，患病率研究通常基于单一诊断方法的推断，并且人们认识到这可能导致偏差以及对疾病状况的低估。因此，这项横断面研究旨在评估巴西里约热内卢郊区和城市地区犬猫感染恶丝虫属物种的患病率。该调查采用多诊断方法，并应用二项式广义线性模型（GLM）来研究感染发生与潜在疾病决定因素之间的关联。从一个兽医流动绝育单位采集的497只狗和107只猫的血样，接受了寄生虫学、血清学和分子检测，以检测恶丝虫属物种感染。在狗的样本中，总体上有7.44%的样本检测出恶丝虫感染呈阳性，而未检测到匐行恶丝虫。相比之下，没有猫的样本检测出这两种寄生虫中的任何一种呈阳性。郊区的患病率（14.47%）明显高于里约热内卢市区（6.17%）（P = 0.003）。两岁以上的狗感染风险更高（P < 0.001），而品种、性别、体型、被毛类型、大环内酯类药物的使用或户外空间的可达性等特征未被发现是预测因素。这项研究强化了这样的证据，即在以前被认为患病率低或非地方性流行的地区，犬恶丝虫病的患病率正在上升。它还表明，环境和社会经济因素可能在决定这种寄生虫当前的流行病学状况方面发挥关键作用。这些发现凸显了在高风险地区加强监测、有针对性的预防和提高公众意识以应对这一新兴的“同一健康”问题的必要性。
