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Human Dirofilaria repens infections diagnosed in Slovakia in the last 10 years (2007–2017)

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Summary

Human dirofilariosis is currently considered to be an emerging zoonosis of Central Europe with climate change and globalization playing a key role in its spreading. Additionally, the occurrence of Dirofilaria spp. is strongly subject to a certain number of microfilaremic dogs and the presence of the mosquito vectors. Both conditions are fulfilled in Slovakia. The first human case of autochthonous dirofilariosis in Slovakia was diagnosed in 2007, 2 years after the infection had been observed in the Slovak dog population. Since then, a total of 12 human cases caused by Dirofilaria repens have been registered at the Institute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 7 subcutaneous, 4 ocular and 1 pulmonary; however, it is likely that some cases remain undiagnosed, seeing that this infection is still missed by physicians. Of the patients 9 were male and 3 were female and their age varied between 15 and 72 years (mean 49 years). The majority of those affected came from the southern regions of the country, bordering Austria and Hungary, which are considered to be endemic areas for canine dirofilariosis. In this paper all published and unpublished cases are reviewed, with a special emphasis on the rare pulmonary form of D. repens infection.

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Funding

Research was supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency, project No. APVV-15-0114 and by the project “Application Centre for Protection of Humans, Animals and Plants against Parasites” (code ITMS: 26220220018), supported by the Research & Development Operational Programme funded by the ERDF (50%).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01, Košice, Slovakia

    Martina Miterpáková & Daniela Antolová

  2. Medirex Group, Istrijská 20, 841 07, Bratislava, Slovakia

    František Ondriska

  3. Trnava University in Trnava, Hornopotočná 23, 918 43, Trnava, Slovakia

    František Ondriska

  4. Alpha Medical Pathology, Ružinovská 6, 826 06, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Viliam Gál

Authors
  1. Martina Miterpáková
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  2. Daniela Antolová
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  3. František Ondriska
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  4. Viliam Gál
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Correspondence to Daniela Antolová.

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Conflict of interest

M. Miterpáková, D. Antolová, F. Ondriska, and V. Gál declare that they have no competing interests.

Ethical standards

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Miterpáková, M., Antolová, D., Ondriska, F. et al. Human Dirofilaria repens infections diagnosed in Slovakia in the last 10 years (2007–2017). Wien Klin Wochenschr 129, 634–641 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-017-1233-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-017-1233-8

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