The first report of Dirofilaria repens infection in dogs from Colombia

Nathalia Ballesteros, Sergio Castañeda, Marina Muñoz, Angel Flórez, Juan Carlos Pinilla, Juan David Ramírez

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch Articlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Dirofilariasis is a mosquito-borne disease caused by Dirofilaria parasites, affecting both wild and domestic animals, including humans considered as accidental hosts. Dirofilaria repens is the principal causative agent of dirofilariasis in the Old World, with increasing reports of the parasite in countries where it has not been previously identified, due to several factors such as the expansion of mosquito vectors’ geographical distribution. By utilizing newly designed primers for molecular detection and confirming through next-generation sequencing, here, we report the first plausible cases of D. repens in dogs from Colombia. Our results support the classification of this species as an emergent pathogen in the Americas. Finally, we encourage an increase in diagnostic and surveillance efforts to prevent and control the current and future dirofilariasis cases in this region.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2445-2450
Number of pages6
JournalParasitology Research
Volume122
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2023

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Parasitology
  • General Veterinary
  • Insect Science
  • Infectious Diseases

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