Usual or unusual presentations of Dirofilaria repens in two sibling dogs: a case report
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HELMINTHOLOGY - ORIGINAL PAPER
Usual or unusual presentations of Dirofilaria repens in two sibling dogs: a case report Giulia Barlozzari 1 & Tiziana Felice 2 & Laura Salvato 1 & Raffaella Conti 1 & Claudio De Liberato 1 & Federica Furzi 3 & Simona Gabrielli 3 & Manuela Scarpulla 1 Received: 19 May 2020 / Accepted: 7 October 2020 # The Author(s) 2020
Abstract This study describes two different manifestations of Dirofilaria repens infection in sibling dogs with microfilaremia. Dog 1, asymptomatic, harbored a gravid female of D. repens on the parietal layer of tunica vaginalis of one testicle and showed a marked circulating eosinophilia (3.3·103/μL). Both testicles were normal in shape and size without any gross lesions. Dog 2 had a pyotraumatic dermatitis. The cases were confirmed by PCR and sequencing. The sequences obtained showed 100% identity with those of D. repens isolated from human scrotum in Croatia. The treatment with moxidectin 2.5% and imidacloprid 10%/kg was effective in eliminating microfilariae after just one application, as demonstrated by negative modified Knott’s tests and PCR analyses of blood samples. This status was maintained during the post-treatment observation period. The classical localization of D. repens in dogs is in subcutaneous tissues, within nodules or free; however, it can also occur with some frequency in testicles, as described in humans. The infection can be associated with circulating eosinophilia or pyotraumatic dermatitis, as reported in this study. Thus, in endemic areas, it is advisable to carefully inspect the removed testicles at neutering since parasite localization can take place without any macroscopic changes. Moreover, in the case of circulating eosinophilia or pyotraumatic dermatitis, investigations should include modified Knott’s test and PCR to ensure that D. repens is not the cause of these alterations. Rapid and sensitive tests for the early detection of infected animals would help to prevent or limit the spread of this zoonosis. Keywords Dirofilaria repens . Testicle . Circulating eosinophilia . Acute moist dermatitis . Dog . Italy
Introduction The nematode Dirofilaria repens is responsible for canine subcutaneous dirofilariasis and it is the main agent of human dirofilariasis in the Old World. D. repens adult worms live in the subcutaneous and intramuscular connective tissues of dogs and other carnivores. The females, as viviparous, release the first larval stage (L1) in the peripheral blood after mating. The L1 is picked up by a mosquito while sucking blood, it turns Section Editor: Ramaswamy Kalyanasundaram * Giulia Barlozzari [email protected] 1
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana M. Aleandri, Rome, Italy
2
Public Health Unit RM3, Rome, Italy
3
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
into the second larval stage (L2) and finally into the infective stage (L3) that migrates towards the proboscis to be transmitted to a new host. The infective stage can be transmit
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