Infection with Dirofilaria immitis and Other Infections in Cats and Dogs from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: The Need for Prophylactic Enforcement

Purpose Dirofilaria immitis , a mosquito-borne nematode that primarily infects dogs, can equally infect cats. Although there have been numerous studies on canine heartworm prevalence in Brazil, there have been few studies on feline infections. Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Acta parasitologica 2021-09, Vol.66 (3), p.962-968
Main Authors: Mendes-de-Almeida, Flavya, Alves, Leucio Câmara, do Amaral Fernandes, Priscila, de Menezes Leivas, Roberta, Labarthe, Norma
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anaplasma
Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Cats
Coronary artery disease
Dirofilaria immitis
Dogs
Ecology
Ehrlichia
Enforcement
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
Feline leukemia
Heart diseases
Infections
Leukemia
Medical Microbiology
Metropolitan areas
Microbiology
Mosquitoes
Nematodes
Original Paper
Parasitology
Pets
Serology
Viruses
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Summary:Purpose Dirofilaria immitis , a mosquito-borne nematode that primarily infects dogs, can equally infect cats. Although there have been numerous studies on canine heartworm prevalence in Brazil, there have been few studies on feline infections. Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV) are both life-threatening retroviruses transmitted directly between cats. Infections with Ehrlichia spp. and Anaplasma spp. are highly prevalent among dogs in Brazil, with Rhipicephalus sanguineus being the main vector for both bacteria. This study aimed to gather information on these infections among dogs and cats in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro by performing rapid point-of-care tests for prophylactic enforcement. Methods Surplus samples of serum or plasma from private laboratories were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (SNAP Feline Triple Test or SNAP 4Dx Plus Test). Results The prevalence of heartworm disease was 7% among dogs and 0.9% among cats, the latter being 12.9% of the former. The prevalence of FIV and FeLV was 4.3 and 11.9%, respectively. Among dogs, the seroprevalence of Ehrlichia spp. and Anaplasma spp. was 27.1 and 9.8%, respectively, and Borrelia burgdorferi was not detected. Conclusion Given that such infections circulate among pets, prophylactic measures should be encouraged by small animal practitioners.
ISSN:1230-2821
1896-1851
DOI:10.1007/s11686-021-00345-z