Molecular Survey of Dirofilaria and Leishmania Species in Dogs from Central Balkan

oleh: Suzana Tasić-Otašević, Sara Savić, Maja Jurhar-Pavlova, Jovana Stefanovska, Marko Stalević, Aleksandra Ignjatović, Marina Ranđelović, Bojan Gajić, Aleksandar Cvetkovikj, Simona Gabrielli

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2022-04-01

Deskripsi

Dirofilariosis and leishmaniosis are severe parasitic diseases in dogs, and their causative agents can also be pathogenic to humans. In this study, we conducted a multicentric survey in the regions of Serbia and North Macedonia with the goal to establish an epidemiological scenario of dirofilariosis and leishmaniosis in the territory of Central Balkan. Using molecular analyses, a total of 535 dogs from Northern Serbia (NS), Southern Serbia (SS) and North Macedonia (NM) were screened for the presence of <i>Dirofilaria</i> spp. and <i>Leishmania</i> spp. We confirmed that Central Balkan is an endemic region for <i>Dirofilaria (D.) immitis</i>, as it was found to be the dominant species in this area, with the highest prevalence of 8.75% in NM, followed by NS (6.68%) and a significantly lower prevalence in SS (1.51%). Two dogs (2.5%) from NM were positive for <i>Leishmania (L.) infantum</i> infection. None of the dogs from Serbia tested positive for <i>Leishmania</i> spp. High prevalence and dominance of <i>D. immitis</i> species, and the rising threat of <i>L. infantum</i> spread to the territory of Serbia, suggest that preventive measures are of a great necessity to combat the spread of these vector-borne zoonoses.