Abstract
Dirofilariasis is a mosquito-borne disease caused by Dirofilaria parasites, affecting both wild and domestic animals, including humans considered as accidental hosts. Dirofilaria repens is the principal causative agent of dirofilariasis in the Old World, with increasing reports of the parasite in countries where it has not been previously identified, due to several factors such as the expansion of mosquito vectors’ geographical distribution. By utilizing newly designed primers for molecular detection and confirming through next-generation sequencing, here, we report the first plausible cases of D. repens in dogs from Colombia. Our results support the classification of this species as an emergent pathogen in the Americas. Finally, we encourage an increase in diagnostic and surveillance efforts to prevent and control the current and future dirofilariasis cases in this region.
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We want to thank Natalia Velásquez and Mateo Alvarado for their support in reviewing the manuscript.
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Conceptualization: Nathalia Ballesteros, Sergio Castañeda, Marina Muñoz, Angel Flórez, Juan C. Pinilla, and Juan David Ramírez. Funding acquisition: Marina Muñoz and Juan David Ramírez. Project administration; Marina Muñoz and Juan David Ramírez. Supervision: Marina Muñoz and Juan David Ramírez. Writing—original draft: Nathalia Ballesteros, Marina Muñoz, and Juan David Ramírez. Writing—review and editing: Nathalia Ballesteros, Sergio Castañeda, Marina Muñoz, Angel Flórez, Juan C. Pinilla, and Juan David Ramírez.
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The protocol and procedures employed were ethically reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Santander, with the number CIF-1621.
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Supplementary file 1 Microfilaria micrograph obtained by Giemsa staining of the canine samples collected in the dog shelters. A) Micrograph with the respective morphometric analysis. B) Microfilaria micrograph highlighting the umbrella-like tail observed. (PDF 106 KB)
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Ballesteros, N., Castañeda, S., Muñoz, M. et al. The first report of Dirofilaria repens infection in dogs from Colombia. Parasitol Res 122, 2445–2450 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-023-07926-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-023-07926-z