期刊
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
卷 9, 期 -, 页码 -出版社
FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.900371
关键词
Dirofilaria immitis; epidemiology; seroprevalence; heartworm; dirofilariosis; cats; Spain
资金
- Merck Sharp and Dohme Animal Health [CN-240/030/152]
- Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria [PIFULPGC-2017-CCSALUD-3]
- Government of the Canary Islands [TESIS2021010010]
This study analyzed the exposure to feline heartworm in Spain and found that the disease is widely distributed throughout the country. The study emphasized the link between infected dogs and exposed cats, and called for effective awareness and prophylaxis measures to control the spread of feline heartworm in Spain.
Feline heartworm is a vector-borne zoonotic disease caused by Dirofilaria immitis. It is a cosmopolitan disease that is continuously expanding. Spain is considered an endemic country; however, although there are many published studies in dogs, feline heartworm has been poorly studied in this country. Thus, the objective was to analyze the exposure to D. immitis throughout Spain to complete the epidemiological map in the feline species. For this, 6,588 feline serum samples were analyzed for the presence of D. immitis antigens and antibodies against D. immitis and Wolbachia. The results were analyzed according to sex, age, breed, habitat, origin (owned or shelter cats), presence of clinical signs, use of preventive, location and climatology. The results showed a prevalence of 0.5% and a seroprevalence of 9.4%. The highest antibody seroprevalences were reported in the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands (19.2 and 16%, respectively), as well as in the autonomous communities located on the Mediterranean coast (9.2-11.2%). Seropositive cats were found in both indoor and outdoor cats, and from 6 months of age. Furthermore, only 5.8% of cats received regular prophylactic treatment. The results show that feline dirofilariasis is widely distributed throughout the national territory and corroborate that, where infected dogs are present, there are cats exposed to the parasite. It is necessary to implement efficient awareness and prophylaxis measures to control the incidence and expansion of feline heartworm in Spain.
作者
我是这篇论文的作者
点击您的名字以认领此论文并将其添加到您的个人资料中。
推荐
暂无数据