Dirofilariosis and Angiostrongylosis in Animals and Humans: A Global Challenge

A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 July 2024 | Viewed by 1535

Special Issue Editors


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Zoonotic Disease and One Heatlh Group, Faculty of Pharmacy, Campus Miguel Unamuno, University of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain
Interests: human-animals interactions; parasitology; zoonotic parasite; one health; vector-borne disease; host-parasite relationship
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Laboratory of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: feline and canine parasitology; cardiopulmonary nematodes; zoonotic parasites; wildlife parasitology
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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, Spain
Interests: small animals; zoonosis; host–parasite relationship; cardiorespiratory medicine; vector-borne disease; one health
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Department of Veterinary Science, Parasitology Unit, University of Parma, Strada del Taglio, 10, 43126 Parma, Italy
Interests: veterinary medicine; zoonosis; parasitology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the impact of dirofilariosis and angiostrongylosis on canine and feline populations has increased markedly. This is due, among other factors, to an increase in epidemiological studies in various parts of the world, both prospective and current. It has been shown that in places or countries where these diseases are studied, numerous cases appear. Also important are studies related to parasite–host interactions, pathology, improvements in treatment and the latest advances in diagnosis. Dirofilariosis is a much better-known disease than angiostrongylosis and is also considered a zoonosis, which, from a public health point of view, has a greater impact.

This Special Issue on dirofilariasis and angiostrongylosis aims to bring together the most recent studies on the epidemiology and incidence of both diseases in domestic and wild animals and humans, where appropriate, caused by the different parasites (Dirofilaria immitis, D. repens, Angiostrongylus vasoum, A. cantonensis, A. costaricensis...) in different parts of the world. Additionally, it will focus on improvements in diagnosis; treatment and control; proteomic, immunomic and molecular studies as well as studies focusing on the parasite–host relationship and the One Health dimension.

Prof. Dr. Rodrigo Morchón
Prof. Dr. Anastasia Diakou
Dr. Elena Carretón
Dr. Marco Genchi
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • dirofilaria
  • angiostrongylus
  • zoonosis
  • one health

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

11 pages, 728 KiB  
Article
Heat Treatment Augments Antigen Detection of Dirofilaria immitis in Apparently Healthy Companion Dogs (3.8% to 7.3%): Insights from a Large-Scale Nationwide Survey across the United States
by Daniel Felipe Barrantes Murillo, Annie Moye and Chengming Wang
Pathogens 2024, 13(1), 56; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13010056 - 06 Jan 2024
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Abstract
Background: Heartworm disease (HWD) is a vector-borne disease caused by the filarial nematode Dirofilaria immitis. Low antigen levels caused by immune complex formation preclude HWD diagnosis. Heat treatment is an immune complex dissociation technique used to enhance antigen detection. Only a few [...] Read more.
Background: Heartworm disease (HWD) is a vector-borne disease caused by the filarial nematode Dirofilaria immitis. Low antigen levels caused by immune complex formation preclude HWD diagnosis. Heat treatment is an immune complex dissociation technique used to enhance antigen detection. Only a few studies have reported the benefits of heat treatment in nationwide surveys. Methods: To investigate the impact of heat treatment on the seroprevalence of HWD in companion dogs in the USA, serum samples (n = 3253) were analyzed for D. immitis antigen (DiroCHEK®, Zoetis) without and with heat treatment of the samples. Results: Compared to sera without heat treatment, heat treatment significantly increased overall prevalence from 3.8% (123/3253) to 7.3% (237/3253) (p < 10−4), expanding antigen detection from 32 to 39 of the 48 states and Washington District of Columbia included in this study. Conclusions: This study represents the largest nationwide survey of HW antigen detection in dogs in the US applying heat treatment to canine sera. The heat treatment used herein has the advantage of requiring a low volume of serum, making it optimal for use in routine diagnosis. Heat treatment should be used routinely by reference laboratories and veterinary clinics in patients with a negative initial test. Full article
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