Microfilarial periodicity of Dirofilaria repens in naturally infested dogs
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Microfilarial periodicity of Dirofilaria repens in naturally infested dogs Angela Di Cesare & Domenico Otranto & Emanuela Di Giulio & Giulia Simonato & Maria Stefania Latrofa & Francesco La Torre & Giorgio Coccia & Donato Traversa
Received: 31 July 2013 / Accepted: 19 September 2013 / Published online: 1 October 2013 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013
Abstract In the past years, canine and human cases of infestation by Dirofilaria repens (Spirurida, Onchocercidae) have been increasingly reported in several European countries. Subcutaneous dirofilariosis by D. repens may either be asymptomatic in dogs or may be characterized by subcutaneous nodules and other symptoms. Information on the periodicity of D. repens microfilariae in naturally infested animals is scant, and this might impair the accurate diagnosis of subcutaneous dirofilariosis and appropriate control plans. In the present study, eight dogs infested with D. repens were sampled twice daily at 12-h intervals for ten consecutive days, and the dog with the highest mean value of microfilariaemia was further sampled every 4 h for four consecutive days. The blood was microscopically and molecularly examined for microfilariae, and, additionally, negative samples were also subjected to a real-time PCR to evaluate the level of circulating DNA. The results demonstrated significant variations in circadian rhythms of D. repens larvae, with higher values of microfilariae per milliliter in the evening samples. A significant variation was also found at the individual level for the dogs with the highest values of microfilariaemia. All samples A. Di Cesare : G. Coccia : D. Traversa (*) Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy e-mail: [email protected] D. Otranto : M. S. Latrofa Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Bari, Italy E. Di Giulio Veterinary Clinic James Herriot, Roseto degli Abruzzi, Italy G. Simonato Department of Animal Medicine Production and Health, University of Padua, Padua, Italy F. La Torre Novartis Animal Health, Milan, Italy
which were negative at the light microscopy and positive at the real-time PCR displayed levels of circulating parasite DNA
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