The prevalence and comparative analysis of canine Dirofiliaria repens infection in Kaunas city

The objective of the research was to identify and assess the prevalence of dogs infected with dirofilaria in Kaunas City, to perform a comparatison of prevalence between dogs kept in shelters and those kept by private owners, as well as perform an analysis of risk factors that have influence on contracting the infection, i.e. to assess the influence of sex, fur type, housing conditions, weight, age, manifestation of clinic symptoms and the use of antihelminthics upon contracting the infection. Two methods were employed for the identification of microfilariae in venous blood - direct blood drop microscopy and the modified Knott method, a dermatological clinical test was also performed on the canines. The research was carried out in one of the small pet clinics in Kaunas, as well as a dog shelter. 7 out of 50 dogs that were examined in the clinic were infected with microfiliariae. 70 dogs were examined in the shelter, 11 out of them had contracted dirofilariasis. The general total of infected dogs was 18 (15 %). More infected dogs were detected when using the modified Knott test rather than the direct blood drop microscopy. It points to the fact that direct blood drop microscopy is not the most trusted method for identifying microfiliariae. Althouth more dogs were examined in the shelter, both dogs housed in private and shelter settings can become infected. During the examination, more male canines rather than females were found to be infected; however, both sexes have an equal chance to contract the infection. Assessment of age influence showed that dogs from the age groups of 4-8 were mostly prevalent. Between those that contracted dirofilariasis, there were more short-hair breeds, however, it was established that both long-haired and short-haired breeds have an equal chance to become infected. During the course of the research dogs from small breeds were found to be infected mostly, however, this is highly influenced by the popularity of the breed and its density in the general dog population. The influence of housing on contracting the infection was assessed. Dogs that spend most their time indoors participated in the research, however, all the dogs were allowed to walk ouside for at least an hour, therefore both dogs kept indoors and outdoors could become infected with dirofiliariae. The research has demonstrated that dogs not receiving antihelminthic treatment get worms more often, in this case - dirofiliariasis. 67 % of infected animals did not manifest any clinical symptoms, while the remaining 33 % experienced cough, erythema, hair loss and itching. It was established that the characteristics of sex, age, length of fur, and size of breed did not have a statistically significant influence on the spread of dirofiliariasis. We believe that research of a higher epidemiological scale would have to be conducted to address the issues mentioned before