Heartworm Disease (Dirofilaria immitis) and Their Vectors in Europe - New Distribution Trends.

Rodrigo Morchón,E Carretón,J González-Miguel,I Mellado-Hernández

doi:10.3389/fphys.2012.00196

Rodrigo Morchón, E Carretón + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2012.00196

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Abstract

Cardiopulmonary dirofilariasis is a cosmopolitan disease caused by Dirofilaria immitis, which affects mainly canids and felids. Moreover, it causes zoonotic infections, producing pulmonary dirofilariasis in humans. Heartworm disease is a vector-borne transmitted disease, thus transmission depends on the presence of competent mosquito species, which is directly related to favorable climate conditions for its development and survival. Cardiopulmonary dirofilariasis is mainly located in countries with temperate and tropical climates. Europe is one of the continents where animal dirofilariasis has been studied more extensively. In this article we review the current prevalence of canine and feline cardiopulmonary dirofilariasis in the European continent, the transmission vectors, the current changes in the distribution and the possible causes, though the analysis of the epidemiological studies carried out until 2001 and between 2002 and 2011. The highest prevalences have been observed in the southern European countries, which are considered historically endemic/hyperendemic countries. Studies carried out in the last 10 years suggest an expansion of cardiopulmonary dirofilariasis in dogs toward central and northern Europe. Several factors can exert an influence on the spreading of the disease, such as movement of infected animals, the introduction of new species of mosquitoes able to act as vectors, the climate change caused by the global warming, and development of human activity in new areas. Veterinary controls to prevent the spreading of this disease, programs of control of vectors, and adequate protocols of prevention of dirofilariasis in the susceptible species should be carried out.

Highlights

Dirofilaria immitis is a parasitic nematode responsible of canine and feline cardiopulmonary dirofilariasis in both domestic and wild hosts, and the causal agent of human pulmonary dirofilariasis
EPIDEMIOLOGICAL DISTRIBUTION OF ANIMAL DIROFILARIASIS IN EUROPE UNTIL 2001 Until 2001, cardiopulmonary dirofilariasis was mainly found in the southern European countries, such as Spain, Portugal, Italy, and France
In the region of Moscow, canine dirofilariasis has been reported in 33 districts, all of them coinfected by D. repens (Supriaga et al, 2011) and in the region of Rostov, between 2002 and 2009, 6.1% of the studied dogs presented D. immitis, 5% of them co-infected by D. repens and microfilaremic (Kartashev et al, 2011); currently, the region of Rostov is considered an endemic area

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Dirofilaria immitis is a parasitic nematode responsible of canine and feline cardiopulmonary dirofilariasis in both domestic and wild hosts, and the causal agent of human pulmonary dirofilariasis. It is a zoonotic parasitic disease mainly located in temperate, tropical, and subtropical areas of the world (Simón et al, 2009b). The aim of the present work is to review the current epidemiological situation of the cardiopulmonary dirofilariasis in dogs (the main host) and cats in Europe, its vectors and evaluate the possible causes of the changes in the distribution of the disease by conducting a retrospective analysis of the epidemiological situation

Heartworm disease and their vectors in Europe

Portugal Spain Italy

Findings

CONCLUSION