Prevalence of Leishmania infantum and Dirofilaria immitis infection in dogs in Aydin province and the town of Selçuk, İzmir, Turkey [Aydin'in bazi i·lçe ve köyleri ile İzmir'in Selçuk i·lçesindeki köpeklerde Leishmaniosis ve Dirofilariasis'in prevalansi]

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Leishmania infantum and Dirofilaria immitis infection in dogs housed outdoors in Aydin province and Selçuk in western Turkey. Anti-Leishmania antibodies were evaluated in sera samples by IFA and ELISA techniques. The presence of D. immitis microfilariae was determined in blood samples by use of the modified Knott's test. Using the IFA and ELISA on 158 dogs surveyed, 5 (3.2%) were positive for anti-Leishmania antibodies while 22 (13.9%) were found infected with D. immitis. Only 2 out of 5 seropositive dogs exhibited major signs of canine visceral leishmaniosis, and amastigotes were detected in parasitological examinations of popliteal lymph node aspirates. It was noted that there were dogs infected with Leishmania in dog shelters in the towns of Kuşadasi and Selçuk, and the infection rate of dogs for D. immitis was high in 3 villages near the city of Aydin. © TÜBİTAK