Serodiagnostic difficulties and possibilities of heartworm disease in regions where both Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens infections occur.

Abstract

This retrospective study was performed on 71 dogs which had been admitted for heartworm screening or with clinical suspicion of heartworm disease. The examination methods included polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to identify Dirofilaria immitis and/or Dirofilaria repens infections and a heartworm antigen (Ag) test (VetScan). By using PCR, 26 dogs were found positive only for Dirofilaria immitis (Group 1), while 21 dogs for both D. immitis and D. repens (Group 2). Group 3 included 24 dogs with D. repens infection only according to the PCR results. The sensitivity of the VetScan Ag test for the Group 1 and 2 animals proved to be 97.7% (95% Blaker confidence interval; CI 89.0%-99.9%). The specificity of the VetScan Ag test, calculated from the results of Group 3, was found to be 66.7% (95% CI 45.6%-83.1%), which was lower than that reported from the USA, where D. repens does not occur. In cases when PCR results were positive for D. repens but negative for D. immitis, the occult dirofilariosis was the likely explanation for the positive D. immitis Ag tests. These observations highlight the importance of performing more Ag tests simultaneously in those areas where both Dirofilaria species are present.