Situation with Dirofilariasis in Hunting Dogs in the Ararat Region of Armenia

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AbstractThe paper considers the spread of dirofilariasis in hunting dogs of the Ararat region of Armenia. The study was conducted on 28 male and female hunting dogs aged from 10 months to 6 years, actively used in fowling. The hunting dogs were represented by: 5 German wirehaired pointers, 10 German shorthaired pointers, 7 pointers, 3 laikas, 1 English setter, 1 Irish setter, and 1 German hunting terrier. The dogs were kept in open-air enclosures on the territory of private homes and fowling in an area bordering the Araks River. The hunting dogs under study were used in areas where nature and contributing to the development of alternate hosts of dirofilariasis –mosquitoes. The presence of microfilariae was established as a result of light microscopy of blood smears prepared according to the modified Knott’s method and using Canine Heartworm Ag immunochromatographic test systems. The population of hunting dogs in the Ararat region was diagnosed with only one type of the causative pathogen of dirofilariasis – Dirofilaria immitis. The average prevalence of invasion is 31.2%. The high percentage of Dirofilaria invasion in laikas and the absence of microfilariae in the blood of the German hunting terrier, English, and Irish setters can be explained by a small sampling of animals. The revealed cases of dirofilariasis in hunting dogs confirm the constant circulation of the pathogen in the studied region. The lack of preventive measures for hunting dogs presents a risk of an increased number of infested carnivores and humans.KeywordsDirofilariasisDirofilaria immitisMicrofilariaeHunting dogsTest systemsRepublic of Armenia