Prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis in dogs from Hatay province, Turkey.
J Helminthol
; 83(3): 255-60, 2009 Sep.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-19173764
The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of canine dirofilariosis in Hatay province, south of Turkey. A total of 269 blood samples were collected from owned dogs in this multi-centre survey between March and July 2006. Blood samples were examined by modified Knott and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) techniques to detect circulating microfilariae and antigens of Dirofilaria immitis, respectively. Seventy out of 269 dogs (26.0%) were positive for D. immitis. However, 61.4% of positive dogs had occult infection. The prevalence of canine dirofilariosis was heterogeneous in Hatay province, with higher values in shoreline (33.0%) and riverside (30.9%) areas followed by the lowland (25.5%) or mountainous (15.2%) areas. No statistically significant differences were observed in relation to sex (females, 33.3%; males, 24.4%, P>0.05). When evaluating the prevalence of D. immitis by age, the highest prevalence was observed in dogs older than 4 years of age. Large breeds (29.6%) and the dogs living outdoors (30.2%) showed a higher prevalence in comparison to small breeds (21.4%) and the dogs living indoors (10.5%), respectively. In conclusion, according to the results of this study canine dirofilariosis had a high prevalence in Hatay province. Therefore, prophylaxis against heartworm is advisable to decrease the incidence of canine dirofilariosis.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Dirofilaria immitis
/
Dirofilariasis
/
Enfermedades de los Perros
Tipo de estudio:
Prevalence_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Animals
País/Región como asunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Helminthol
Año:
2009
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Turquía
Pais de publicación:
Reino Unido