Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Low prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis in dogs in Johor Bahru, Malaysia as a reflection of vector availability?
- Journal:
- Tropical biomedicine
- Year:
- 2012
- Authors:
- Ng, K L et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Pathology & Microbiology
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
This study looked at why there are so few cases of heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) in dogs in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Researchers tested 100 pet dogs and 50 stray dogs using different blood tests to check for heartworm. They found that only 1.33% of the dogs had heartworm, with 1% of pet dogs and 2% of strays testing positive. The results support the idea that heartworm is not common in this area, which might be linked to the availability of the insects that spread it. Overall, the treatment and testing confirmed that heartworm is indeed rare in Johor Bahru.
Abstract
This study was conducted to investigate the low prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis in dogs in Johor Bahru as reported by veterinary practitioners, using wet blood mount, Knott's Concentration Test and two heartworm antigen test kits (IDEXX Canine SNAP® 4Dx and RapiGEN®). This study also compared the two test kits used and determined the microfilaria species. Blood were collected from 100 owned dogs and 50 stray dogs in Johor Bahru via cephalic venipuncture. A thick blood smear was done and examined for samples that were positive for microfilaria species identification. The overall prevalence of D. immitis in dogs in Johor Bahru was 1.33% (2/150) and the microfilaria identified was D. immitis. The prevalence of heartworm in owned and stray dogs in this study was 1% and 2% respectively. With only one false negative result from RapiGEN® test kit, comparing the sensitivity between the two test kits could not be achieved. The low prevalence of D. immitis found in this study confirmed anecdotal evidence that prevalence of dirofilariasis is indeed low in Johor Bahru. Additionally, we speculate that dirofilariasis in dogs might be considered as an indicator of vector availability.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22543620/