Microfilaruria of Dirofilaria immitis in a dog from Italy.
Livia PerlesFloriana GernoneGiuseppe MengaRiccardo TaurinoStefania FornelliMarianna CovinoUmberto RussoIuliana IonascuDomenico OtrantoPublished in: Parasitology research (2024)
Dirofilaria immitis is a mosquito-borne nematode-causing canine heartworm disease, with adult worms localized in the pulmonary arteries and right heart. In rare cases, ectopic migration might occur, and adults and blood circulating microfilariae can be found in unusual organs or fluids (e.g., eyes, abdominal cavity, bone marrow, and urine). A 17-year-old mixed-breed female dog was presented in a private veterinary clinic in Italy for hematuria and dysuria. Physical examination showed cardiac mitral murmur with marked respiratory distress and cyanotic mucous membranes after handling. Abdominal ultrasounds revealed a non-specific chronic cystopathy, while the echocardiography showed enlargement of the right heart associated with tricuspid insufficiency and mitral regurgitation, with the presence of an adult filariae in the right ventricular chamber. Circulating microfilariae were observed in the blood smear and molecularly identified as D. immitis. Unusual microfilaruria was detected in the urine sediment. Data presented raise awareness about the occurrence of microfilariae in unusual locations, such as the bladder, suggesting the need of a thorough clinical and laboratory assessment where D. immitis is endemic.
Keyphrases
- left ventricular
- bone marrow
- mitral valve
- pulmonary hypertension
- heart failure
- congenital heart disease
- aortic stenosis
- mesenchymal stem cells
- primary care
- healthcare
- spinal cord injury
- risk assessment
- heavy metals
- atrial fibrillation
- physical activity
- electronic health record
- optical coherence tomography
- computed tomography
- aortic valve
- pulmonary tuberculosis
- transcatheter aortic valve replacement
- single cell
- dengue virus
- aedes aegypti
- machine learning
- coronary artery disease
- data analysis
- deep learning
- ejection fraction