Prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis antigen and antibodies to Leishmania infantum in cats from southern Portugal
Abstract
Vector-borne diseases (VBD) are caused by a range of pathogens transmitted by arthropods and have emerged in recent years, showing a wider geographic distribution and increased global prevalence. In addition to their veterinary medical importance, cats play a central role in the transmission cycles of some VBD agents by acting as reservoirs, amplifying hosts or sentinels. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis antigen and of antibodies to Leishmania infantum in a sample of 271 cats from southern Portugal. Thirteen (4.8%) cats were positive to D. immitis, while antibodies to L. infantum were detected in 10 (3.7%) animals. The prevalence of D. immitis and L. infantum in the feline population from southern Portugal should alert for the need to implement control measures to protect animals and people from these zoonotic parasites. Furthermore, both parasitoses must be included in the differential diagnosis in feline clinical practice.
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In Portugal, feline prevalence studies demonstrate important presence of D. immitis in cats, with seroprevalence of 15% in centre Portugal in 2009-2010, highest seroprevalences in Aveiro and Viseu (18.7 and 17.6%), 4.8% in southern Portugal, and 3.5% on Madeira.
“In Portugal, feline prevalence studies are relatively recent, but demonstrate the important presence of this parasite in the cats living in the country. The seroprevalence of samples collected in the centre of Portugal in 2009 and 2010 was 15% [13], the highest feline seroprevalences being found in Aveiro and Viseu (18.7 and 17.6%, respectively). Later, Maia et al. [121] reported a prevalence of 4”
From What has happened to heartworm disease in Europe in the last 10 years? (2022) · cites this paper as [122]
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References 17 · Cited by 46
- Authors
- Maia, C., Ramos, C., Coimbra, M., Cardoso, L., & Campino, L.
- Affiliations
- Universidade Nova de Lisboa (PT)
- University of Algarve (PT)
- Corresponding author
- Maia, Carla
- Venue
- Parasitology International
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2015-04
- Volume
- 64
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 154-156
- ISSN
- 1383-5769 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2080311500
- Cited by
- 46
- References
- 17
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 2 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 6
- FWCI
- 1.87
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Parasitology International (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Doenças Tropicais
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia para Excitotoxicidade e Neuroproteção
- European Commission (EDENext286, FP7-261504 EDENext, SFRH/BPD/44082/2008)
- Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
- Ministério da Educação e Ciência
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › Parasitic Diseases Research and Treatment
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Research on Leishmaniasis Studies
- Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Helminth infection and control
- Keywords
- Dirofilaria immitis, Leishmania infantum, feline heartworm infection, feline leishmaniasis, cats, prevalence, seroprevalence, vector-borne diseases, zoonotic parasites, reservoir hosts, southern Portugal
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Antibodies, Protozoan, Antigens, Helminth, Cat Diseases, Cats, Dirofilaria immitis, Dirofilariasis, Female, Leishmaniasis, Visceral, Male, Portugal, Zoonoses, Prevalence, Leishmania infantum
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