Expansion of Canine Heartworm in Spain
The climate of Spain has favourable characteristics for the development of <i>D. immitis</i> in dogs, being an endemic country. Given that vector-borne diseases are spreading rapidly through Europe, due to factors such as climate change, the expansion of vectors and the increased mobilit...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/10/1268 |
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| author | José Alberto Montoya-Alonso Rodrigo Morchón Sara Nieves García-Rodríguez Yaiza Falcón-Cordón Noelia Costa-Rodríguez Jorge Isidoro Matos Iván Rodríguez Escolar Elena Carretón |
| author_facet | José Alberto Montoya-Alonso Rodrigo Morchón Sara Nieves García-Rodríguez Yaiza Falcón-Cordón Noelia Costa-Rodríguez Jorge Isidoro Matos Iván Rodríguez Escolar Elena Carretón |
| author_sort | José Alberto Montoya-Alonso |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The climate of Spain has favourable characteristics for the development of <i>D. immitis</i> in dogs, being an endemic country. Given that vector-borne diseases are spreading rapidly through Europe, due to factors such as climate change, the expansion of vectors and the increased mobility of reservoir animals, the aim was to update the epidemiology of heartworm in dogs and analyse the results based on climate and other epidemiological and geo-environmental factors. To this aim, 9543 blood samples from dogs from all provinces and autonomous cities of Spain were analysed for the detection of antigens of <i>D. immitis</i>, obtaining a prevalence of 6.47%. The northwestern and southern provinces showed the highest prevalences, as well as in the Balearic and Canary Islands. Prevalences were higher in dogs outdoors. Furthermore, most of the positive dogs were found in regions with high humidity and water availability. This study shows, for the first time, positive cases in provinces and islands where no cases had previously been described and demonstrates the continuous expansion and consolidation of heartworm in Spain. Considering its zoonotic character, the implementation of control and awareness programmes for the prevention of <i>D. immitis</i> in pets is necessary. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:28:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ca29713b95a6401493982e37d5c2c011 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:28:41Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-ca29713b95a6401493982e37d5c2c0112023-11-23T09:46:27ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152022-05-011210126810.3390/ani12101268Expansion of Canine Heartworm in SpainJosé Alberto Montoya-Alonso0Rodrigo Morchón1Sara Nieves García-Rodríguez2Yaiza Falcón-Cordón3Noelia Costa-Rodríguez4Jorge Isidoro Matos5Iván Rodríguez Escolar6Elena Carretón7Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35413 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SpainZoonotic Infections and One Health GIR, Laboratory of Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Salamanca, Campus Miguel Unamuno, 37007 Salamanca, SpainInternal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35413 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SpainInternal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35413 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SpainInternal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35413 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SpainInternal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35413 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SpainZoonotic Infections and One Health GIR, Laboratory of Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Salamanca, Campus Miguel Unamuno, 37007 Salamanca, SpainInternal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35413 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SpainThe climate of Spain has favourable characteristics for the development of <i>D. immitis</i> in dogs, being an endemic country. Given that vector-borne diseases are spreading rapidly through Europe, due to factors such as climate change, the expansion of vectors and the increased mobility of reservoir animals, the aim was to update the epidemiology of heartworm in dogs and analyse the results based on climate and other epidemiological and geo-environmental factors. To this aim, 9543 blood samples from dogs from all provinces and autonomous cities of Spain were analysed for the detection of antigens of <i>D. immitis</i>, obtaining a prevalence of 6.47%. The northwestern and southern provinces showed the highest prevalences, as well as in the Balearic and Canary Islands. Prevalences were higher in dogs outdoors. Furthermore, most of the positive dogs were found in regions with high humidity and water availability. This study shows, for the first time, positive cases in provinces and islands where no cases had previously been described and demonstrates the continuous expansion and consolidation of heartworm in Spain. Considering its zoonotic character, the implementation of control and awareness programmes for the prevention of <i>D. immitis</i> in pets is necessary.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/10/1268<i>Dirofilaria immitis</i>dogsSpainepidemiologyprovincesantigen tests |
| spellingShingle | José Alberto Montoya-Alonso Rodrigo Morchón Sara Nieves García-Rodríguez Yaiza Falcón-Cordón Noelia Costa-Rodríguez Jorge Isidoro Matos Iván Rodríguez Escolar Elena Carretón Expansion of Canine Heartworm in Spain Animals <i>Dirofilaria immitis</i> dogs Spain epidemiology provinces antigen tests |
| title | Expansion of Canine Heartworm in Spain |
| title_full | Expansion of Canine Heartworm in Spain |
| title_fullStr | Expansion of Canine Heartworm in Spain |
| title_full_unstemmed | Expansion of Canine Heartworm in Spain |
| title_short | Expansion of Canine Heartworm in Spain |
| title_sort | expansion of canine heartworm in spain |
| topic | <i>Dirofilaria immitis</i> dogs Spain epidemiology provinces antigen tests |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/10/1268 |
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