ArticleParasites & vectors2022
Nationwide molecular survey of Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens in companion dogs and cats, United States of America.
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 19 papers.
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Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Molecular Surveillance ofPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Geographical Distribution and Molecular Characterization ofAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Comparison of two doxycycline dosages on inflammatory and stress response in dogs naturally infected with Dirofilaria immitis.Parasites & vectors · 2026Article
- Seroprevalence and molecular surveillance of Dirofilaria immitis in shelter dogs from central New Mexico, USA.Parasites & vectors · 2026Article
- Improved specificity of a probe-based real-time PCR for the detection of Dirofilaria immitis in canine blood.Parasites & vectors · 2026Article
- Potential risk of heartworm infection in the United States of America and its projected incidence by 2100.Parasites & vectors · 2026Article
- Seroprevalence of Dirofilaria immitis in traveling dogs: implications for transboundary pathogen movement.Parasites & vectors · 2026Article
- New World Ocular Dirofilariasis Caused by Dirofilaria repens Infection, United States.Emerging infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Article
- 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
- Application of COI-LAMP for Detection of Dirofilaria immitis with High Sensitivity and Specificity in Epidemiological Studies.Acta parasitologica · 2026Article
- First molecular characterization ofFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Article
- Prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis in dogs in Jamaica.Parasitology research · 2024Article
- Change in the Distribution Pattern ofAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2024Article
- 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
- Heat Treatment Augments Antigen Detection ofPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Evolution of dirofilariasis diagnostic techniques from traditional morphological analysis to molecular-based techniques: a comprehensive review.Frontiers in parasitology · 2024Review
- Pre-treatment of canine plasma with heat, rather than acid, efficiently enhances Dirofilaria immitis antigen detection.Parasites & vectors · 2023Article
- Cutaneous filarioid nematodes of dogs in the United States: Are they emerging, neglected, or underdiagnosed parasites?Frontiers in veterinary science · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHeartworms, Dirofilaria immitis, are known to be widespread in dogs and cats in the USA, but there have been no country-wide prevalence studies performed to date. There have also been no large-scale studies to determine whether the closely related species, Dirofilaria repens, occurs in the USA.
methodsTo provide this large-scale data, we examined whole blood samples (n = 2334) submitted from around the USA to the Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory at Auburn University between 2016 and 2022. Quantitative PCRs for D. immitis (targeting 16S rRNA) and D. repens (targeting cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene) were performed to determine the presence of Dirofilaria DNA. DNA sequencing was performed to confirm the results.
resultsDirofilaria immitis DNA was found in 6.3% (68/1080) of the dogs from 17/39 states, and 0.3% (4/1254) of the cats from 4/42 states. None of the dogs or cats were positive for D. repens. The average 16S rRNA copy number of D. immitis in the dogs was 1,809,604 in 200 µl whole blood, while only a single copy was found in each of the four D. immitis-positive cats. The prevalence of D. immitis in dogs of different ages, sexes, and breeds did not differ significantly, but the prevalence in Southern states (7.5%, 60/803) was significantly higher than in the Western (1.7%, 1/58), Midwest (3.3%, 4/120), and Northeastern states (3.1%, 3/98) (P < 0.05). Dogs positive for D. immitis were identified in each study year (2016: 4.2%, 2/48; 2017: 9.8%, 4/41; 2018: 5.1%, 8/156; 2019: 4.9%, 15/306; 2020: 9.8%, 26/265; 2021: 4.9%, 13/264). Interestingly, dogs infected with Hepatozoon spp. (11.8%, 37/313) were significantly more likely to also be positive for D. immitis than dogs without evidence of Hepatozoon infection (3.9%, 30/760) (P < 0.0001).
conclusionsTo our knowledge, this is the first nationwide molecular survey of Dirofilaria spp. in dogs and cats in the USA, and the largest molecular survey of canine and feline dirofilariosis worldwide. Further studies are warranted to combine PCR with standard heartworm diagnostics to better understand the prevalence of Dirofilaria spp. and aid in determining the risks posed to dogs and cats in the USA.
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