Emergence of Dirofilaria repens (Spirurida: Onchocercidae) in dogs in Eastern Thailand

Vet World Vol.14 November-2021 Article-2

Research Article

Veterinary World, 14(11): 2851-2854

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2021.2851-2854

Wanarit Jitsamai¹, Patchana Kamkong¹, Sariya Asawakarn^2,3, and Piyanan Taweethavonsawat^1,2

1. Parasitology Unit, Department of Veterinary Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
2. Biomarkers in Animal Parasitology Research Group, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
3. Biochemistry Unit, Department of Veterinary Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.

Background and Aim: Dirofilaria repens is a zoonotic vector-borne parasite of dogs and cats. It is not commonly found in every part of Thailand, except the southern part. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of this parasite in Eastern Thailand in 2019.

Materials and Methods: A total of 8003 blood samples were collected from private veterinary clinics and animal hospitals in Eastern Thailand. Blood parasites were examined using buffy coat thin blood smears with Wright-Giemsa staining. D. repens was morphologically identified and confirmed using the acid phosphatase activity technique.

Results: The first case of D. repens was found in March 2019. The prevalence of D. repens from January to December 2019 was 0.44% (35/8003) (95% confidence interval 0.30-0.61).

Conclusion: The prevalence data of D. repens in Eastern Thailand indicate that this parasitic infection should be considered as a zoonotic vector-borne disease. A strategic plan to control zoonotic transmission alongside a preventive program should be emphasized and encouraged among pet owners and veterinarians. Keywords: Dirofilaria repens, dog, emerging, prevalence, Thailand, zoonosis.

Keywords: Dirofilaria repens, dog, emerging, prevalence, Thailand, zoonosis.

How to cite this article: Jitsamai W, Kamkong P, Asawakarn S, Taweethavonsawat P (2021) Emergence of Dirofilaria repens (Spirurida: Onchocercidae) in dogs in eastern Thailand, Veterinary World, 14(11): 2851-2854.

Received: 02-06-2021 Accepted: 22-09-2021 Published online: 06-11-2021

Corresponding author: Piyanan Taweethavonsawat E-mail: piyanan.t@chula.ac.th

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2021.2851-2854

Copyright: Jitsamai, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.