ArticleParasites & vectors2022
Probe-based qPCR as an alternative to modified Knott's test when screening dogs for heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) infection in combination with antigen detection tests.
Article in Parasites & vectors, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- Seroprevalence and molecular surveillance of Dirofilaria immitis in shelter dogs from central New Mexico, USA.Parasites & vectors · 2026Article
- Assessing the performance of trūRapid™ FOUR heartworm antigen test for early detection in experimentally infected dogs in comparison to other point-of-care tests.Parasites & vectors · 2026Article
- Improved specificity of a probe-based real-time PCR for the detection of Dirofilaria immitis in canine blood.Parasites & vectors · 2026Article
- Comparative performance of the novel, point-of-care Pluslife Mini Dock Dirofilaria immitis/Dirofilaria repens detection test with the modified Knott's test in dogs.Parasites & vectors · 2026Article
- Transient Intraperitoneal Residence ofPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Circulation ofLife (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- High seroprevalence of selected vector-borne pathogens in dogs from Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.Parasites & vectors · 2025Article
- Assessing the performance of TRX and DUF148 antigens for detection of prepatent Guinea worm (Frontiers in parasitology · 2025Article
- Detection ofTransboundary and emerging diseases · 2025Article
- DetectingPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Article
- Evaluation of diagnostic techniques for early detection of heartworm in experimentally infected dogs: identification of Dirofilaria immitis-derived microRNA in the initial 28 weeks post-inoculation.Parasites & vectors · 2024Article
- Occurrence of Dirofilaria immitis infection in shelter cats in the lower Rio Grande Valley region in South Texas, United States, using integrated diagnostic approaches.Veterinary parasitology, regional studies and reports · 2023Article
- Heartworm adulticide treatment: a tropical perspective.Parasites & vectors · 2023Review
- Cutaneous filarioid nematodes of dogs in the United States: Are they emerging, neglected, or underdiagnosed parasites?Frontiers in veterinary science · 2023Review
- The long-distance relationship betweenFrontiers in veterinary science · 2023Review
- High prevalence of canine heartworm, Dirofilaria immitis, in pet dogs in south Texas, USA, with evidence of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes contributing to transmission.Parasites & vectors · 2022Article
- Application of a novel rectangular filtering microfluidic device for microfilarial detection.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCurrent recommendations for diagnosis of Dirofilaria immitis infection in dogs rely on the detection of antigen produced largely by adult females coupled with the visualization of microfilariae (mf) in the circulation via a microfilaria detection test (MFDT). It is hypothesized that qPCR assays used in parallel with antigen detection tests will perform better in detecting mf than modified Knott's test (MK), when combined with antigen detection. This study compares probe-based qPCR and MK techniques for mf detection used in parallel with the DiroCHEK
methodsMatching blood and serum samples were collected from 300 shelter dogs in Brazos and Harris counties, Texas, USA. Blood was assessed for the presence of mf via MK and the presence of D. immitis DNA by a species-specific probe-based qPCR assay. Serum samples were tested for the presence of heartworm antigen using DiroCHEK
resultsQualitatively, MK detected mf in 22.0% (66/300) of samples, 55 of which were morphologically identified as D. immitis and 11 as Acanthocheilonema reconditum. The range of heartworm mf was 28 to 88,803 mf/ml (median: 6627.5). Real-time PCR detected D. immitis DNA in 20.7% (62/300) of samples. Heartworm antigen was detected in 24.7% (74/300) of samples pre-ICD, and in 29.3% (88/300) post-ICD. When comparing tests, the Chi-square and McNemar's tests showed that the difference between positive and negative proportions was statistically significant. The Cochran test showed the difference in the distributions of cases and non-cases was significant when individual tests were combined (χ
conclusionConsidering individual and combined test performances, practicality, and efficient use of bench time, this heartworm-specific probe-based qPCR method is a viable option as a mf detection test to be used in parallel with antigen tests for canine heartworm infection in diagnostic and research settings.
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