Assessment Heartworm Disease in the Canary Islands (Spain): Risk of Transmission in a Hyperendemic Area by Ecological Niche Modeling and Its Future Projection
Heartworm disease is a vector-borne zoonotic disease caused by <i>Dirofilaria immitis</i>. The Canary Islands (Spain), geolocated close to the coast of Western Sahara, is an archipelago considered hyperendemic where the average prevalence in domestic dogs is high, heterogeneous, and non-...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/20/3251 |
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| author | Rodrigo Morchón Iván Rodríguez-Escolar Ricardo E. Hernández Lambraño José Ángel Sánchez Agudo José Alberto Montoya-Alonso Irene Serafín-Pérez Carolina Fernández-Serafín Elena Carretón |
| author_facet | Rodrigo Morchón Iván Rodríguez-Escolar Ricardo E. Hernández Lambraño José Ángel Sánchez Agudo José Alberto Montoya-Alonso Irene Serafín-Pérez Carolina Fernández-Serafín Elena Carretón |
| author_sort | Rodrigo Morchón |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Heartworm disease is a vector-borne zoonotic disease caused by <i>Dirofilaria immitis</i>. The Canary Islands (Spain), geolocated close to the coast of Western Sahara, is an archipelago considered hyperendemic where the average prevalence in domestic dogs is high, heterogeneous, and non-uniform. In addition, <i>Culex theileri</i> has been reported as a vector of the disease on two of the most populated islands. Our aim was to develop a more accurate transmission risk model for dirofilariosis for the Canary Islands. For this purpose, we used different variables related to parasite transmission; the potential distribution of suitable habitats for <i>Culex</i> spp. was calculated using the ecological niche model (ENM) and the potential number of generations of <i>D. immitis</i>. The resulting model was validated with the geolocation of <i>D. immitis</i>-infected dogs from all islands. In addition, the impact of possible future climatic conditions was estimated. There is a risk of transmission on all islands, being high in coastal areas, moderate in midland areas, and minimal in higher altitude areas. Most of the dogs infected with <i>D. immitis</i> were geolocated in areas with a high risk of transmission. In 2080, the percentage of territory that will have been gained by <i>Culex</i> spp. is small (5.02%), although it will occur toward the midlands from coastal areas. This new model provides a high predictive power for the study of cardiopulmonary dirofilariosis in the Canary Islands, as a hyperendemic area of the disease, and can be used as a tool for its prevention and control. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:29:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-51fb9b19536e49eebd69019fb7a32fff |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:29:19Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-51fb9b19536e49eebd69019fb7a32fff2023-11-19T15:25:16ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-10-011320325110.3390/ani13203251Assessment Heartworm Disease in the Canary Islands (Spain): Risk of Transmission in a Hyperendemic Area by Ecological Niche Modeling and Its Future ProjectionRodrigo Morchón0Iván Rodríguez-Escolar1Ricardo E. Hernández Lambraño2José Ángel Sánchez Agudo3José Alberto Montoya-Alonso4Irene Serafín-Pérez5Carolina Fernández-Serafín6Elena Carretón7Zoonotic Diseases and One Health GIR, Biomedical Research Institute of Salamanca—Research Center for Tropical Diseases University of Salamanca (IBSAL-CIETUS), Faculty of Pharmacy, Campus Miguel Unamuno, University of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, SpainZoonotic Diseases and One Health GIR, Biomedical Research Institute of Salamanca—Research Center for Tropical Diseases University of Salamanca (IBSAL-CIETUS), Faculty of Pharmacy, Campus Miguel Unamuno, University of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, SpainBiodiversity, Human Diversity and Conservation Biology Research Group, Campus Miguel Unamuno, University of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, SpainBiodiversity, Human Diversity and Conservation Biology Research Group, Campus Miguel Unamuno, University of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, SpainInternal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35001 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SpainInstituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias, Universidad de La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, S/N, 38203 La Laguna, SpainInstituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias, Universidad de La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, S/N, 38203 La Laguna, SpainInternal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35001 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SpainHeartworm disease is a vector-borne zoonotic disease caused by <i>Dirofilaria immitis</i>. The Canary Islands (Spain), geolocated close to the coast of Western Sahara, is an archipelago considered hyperendemic where the average prevalence in domestic dogs is high, heterogeneous, and non-uniform. In addition, <i>Culex theileri</i> has been reported as a vector of the disease on two of the most populated islands. Our aim was to develop a more accurate transmission risk model for dirofilariosis for the Canary Islands. For this purpose, we used different variables related to parasite transmission; the potential distribution of suitable habitats for <i>Culex</i> spp. was calculated using the ecological niche model (ENM) and the potential number of generations of <i>D. immitis</i>. The resulting model was validated with the geolocation of <i>D. immitis</i>-infected dogs from all islands. In addition, the impact of possible future climatic conditions was estimated. There is a risk of transmission on all islands, being high in coastal areas, moderate in midland areas, and minimal in higher altitude areas. Most of the dogs infected with <i>D. immitis</i> were geolocated in areas with a high risk of transmission. In 2080, the percentage of territory that will have been gained by <i>Culex</i> spp. is small (5.02%), although it will occur toward the midlands from coastal areas. This new model provides a high predictive power for the study of cardiopulmonary dirofilariosis in the Canary Islands, as a hyperendemic area of the disease, and can be used as a tool for its prevention and control.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/20/3251<i>Dirofilaria immitis</i> risk modelecological niche modelforward projection<i>Dirofilaria immitis</i><i>Culex</i> spp.Canary Islands |
| spellingShingle | Rodrigo Morchón Iván Rodríguez-Escolar Ricardo E. Hernández Lambraño José Ángel Sánchez Agudo José Alberto Montoya-Alonso Irene Serafín-Pérez Carolina Fernández-Serafín Elena Carretón Assessment Heartworm Disease in the Canary Islands (Spain): Risk of Transmission in a Hyperendemic Area by Ecological Niche Modeling and Its Future Projection Animals <i>Dirofilaria immitis</i> risk model ecological niche model forward projection <i>Dirofilaria immitis</i> <i>Culex</i> spp. Canary Islands |
| title | Assessment Heartworm Disease in the Canary Islands (Spain): Risk of Transmission in a Hyperendemic Area by Ecological Niche Modeling and Its Future Projection |
| title_full | Assessment Heartworm Disease in the Canary Islands (Spain): Risk of Transmission in a Hyperendemic Area by Ecological Niche Modeling and Its Future Projection |
| title_fullStr | Assessment Heartworm Disease in the Canary Islands (Spain): Risk of Transmission in a Hyperendemic Area by Ecological Niche Modeling and Its Future Projection |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment Heartworm Disease in the Canary Islands (Spain): Risk of Transmission in a Hyperendemic Area by Ecological Niche Modeling and Its Future Projection |
| title_short | Assessment Heartworm Disease in the Canary Islands (Spain): Risk of Transmission in a Hyperendemic Area by Ecological Niche Modeling and Its Future Projection |
| title_sort | assessment heartworm disease in the canary islands spain risk of transmission in a hyperendemic area by ecological niche modeling and its future projection |
| topic | <i>Dirofilaria immitis</i> risk model ecological niche model forward projection <i>Dirofilaria immitis</i> <i>Culex</i> spp. Canary Islands |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/20/3251 |
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