Detection ofandin the United States bySurveillance.

Abstract

In mammals, detection ofbacteria can be used to diagnose filarial infection, while antibiotic treatment to eliminatecan assist in eliminating filarial infections. Becauseare necessary for survival of several filarioids and closely related toand, we analyzedDNA amplification byqPCR, from 39,526 domestic and wildlife animal blood samples submitted to a diagnostic laboratory between 2017 and 2023. Filarial infection was confirmed by 28S gene amplification, followed by phylogenetic analysis utilizing filarial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (), myosin heavy chain (), and 70 kilodalton heat shock protein () gene sequencing.DNA was detected in 57 domestic dogs () and three raccoons () from 23 states and Puerto Rico. A majority of thesequences from dogs were-associated (89%, 51/57), whereas DNA from otherwere associated with insects (9%, 5/57) or(2%, 1/57).infection was confirmed by 28S filarial PCR for all samples with-associatedavailable for testing ( = 41).infection was confirmed by 28S andPCR in the dog infected with-associated. This dog was originally imported from Slovakia. TheDNA amplified from raccoons most closely aligned withfrom(98.9%). 28S filarial,,, andsequencing did not align with currently available GenBank sequences but did align with. Morphologically, microfilariae from additional raccoons were consistent with. Molecular surveillance forin wildlife and domestic animals has the potential to identify novel filarial species in the United States, including zoonotic species.