Dirofilaria immitis: An emerging parasite in dogs, red foxes and golden jackals in Hungary
Abstract
Hungary was not considered to be a heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) endemic country until 2007, when the first autochthonous canine infection was described. Herein we report additional autochthonous heartworm infections in two dogs (Canis familiaris), twenty red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) (n=534; prevalence: 3.7%; 95% CI=2.4-5.7%) and two golden jackals (Canis aureus) (n=27; prevalence: 7.4%; 95% CI=2.1-23.4%) coming from eight counties. The identification of the parasite was based on morphology, morphometrics and amplification of 12S rDNA followed by sequencing in all cases. Our results indicate that Hungary became a D. immitis endemic country in the past decade. The prevalence and intensity of heartworm infection in wild canids is similar to or lower than that observed in the Mediterranean countries of Europe (3.7-7.4% vs. 0.4-12.7% and 1.5 vs. 2.9-4.4 worms/animal). These findings are in line with the results of the recently developed climate based forecast model to predict the establishment of D. immitis in Hungary.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Wild animals in which Dirofilaria infections were identified were predominantly canids like red foxes, golden jackals, and grey wolves.
“Furthermore, there are some wild animals in which Dirofilaria infections were identified, predominantly in canids like red foxes [4, 5, 51–62], golden jackals [52–55, 63, 64], and grey wolves [2, 3, 51, 52, 55, 65, 66].”
From Vectors, host range, and spatial distribution of Dirofilaria immitis and D. repens in Europe: a systematic review (2025) · cites this paper as [53]
Several studies suggest that red foxes are not suitable reservoir hosts for D. immitis or D. repens in some epidemiological settings.
“Similarly, several studies suggest that red foxes are not suitable reservoir hosts for D. immitis or D. repens in some epidemiological settings [25, 49, 58–60].”
From Role of golden jackals (Canis aureus) as natural reservoirs of Dirofilaria spp. in Romania (2016) · cites this paper as [49]
In the present study, countries most commonly mentioned in the history of dogs infected with D. repens were Hungary, Slovakia and eastern Austria, which are again endemic regions for this infection.
“In the present study, countries most commonly mentioned in the history of dogs infected with D. repens were Hungary, Slovakia and eastern Austria, which are again endemic regions for this infection (Tolnai et al. 2014; Fuehrer et al. 2016; Miterpáková et al. 2016).”
From Current trends in canine dirofilariosis in Austria-do we face a pre-endemic status? (2020) · cites this paper as Tolnai et al. 2014
The role of infected wild canids arriving from neighboring countries might not necessarily be considered regarding the geographical distribution of heartworm infections in Hungary because only a few red foxes and two golden jackals were infected with a low number of worms without microfilaremia.
“The role of infected wild canids arriving from neighboring countries might not necessarily be considered regarding the geographical distribution of heartworm infections in Hungary because only a few red foxes and two golden jackals were infected with a low number of worms without microfilaremia”
From Dirofilaria spp. and Angiostrongylus vasorum: current risk of spreading in Central and Northern Europe. (2021) · cites this paper as [129]
Since that time, examinations of dogs, red foxes, golden jackals, and one ferret revealed that D. immitis is endemic in Hungary, and the Great Hungarian Plain is hyperendemic.
“Since that time, the examinations of dogs [120,125,126,127,128], red foxes, golden jackals (Canis aureus) [129], and one ferret (Mustela furo) [130] revealed that D. immitis is endemic in the country, and the Great Hungarian Plain is hyperendemic”
From Dirofilaria spp. and Angiostrongylus vasorum: current risk of spreading in Central and Northern Europe. (2021) · cites this paper as [129]
Cites
Multiple sequence alignment with hierarchical clustering.
Corpet, F. (1988) · Nucleic Acids Research · doi:10.1093/nar/16.22.10881 · Cited by 5,575 · see citing works
Human and animal dirofilariasis: The emergence of a zoonotic mosaic
Simón, F., Siles-Lucas, M., Morchón, R., González-Miguel, J., Mellado, I., Carretón, E., & Montoya-Alonso, J. A. (2012) · Clinical Microbiology Reviews · doi:10.1128/cmr.00012-12 · Cited by 834 · see citing works
Global Transport Networks and Infectious Disease Spread
Tatem, A. J., Rogers, D. J., & Hay, S. I. (2006) · Advances in Parasitology/Advances in parasitology · doi:10.1016/s0065-308x(05)62009-x · Cited by 641 · see citing works
Chapter 4 Heartworm Disease in Animals and Humans
McCall, J. W., Genchi, C., Kramer, L. H., Guerrero, J., & Venco, L. (2008) · Advances in Parasitology · doi:10.1016/s0065-308x(08)00204-2 · Cited by 609 · see citing works
Climate and Dirofilaria infection in Europe
Genchi, C., Rinaldi, L., Mortarino, M., Genchi, M., & Cringoli, G. (2009) · Veterinary parasitology · doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2009.03.026 · Cited by 349 · see citing works
Vector-borne helminths of dogs and humans in Europe
Otranto, D., Dantas-Torres, F., Brianti, E., Traversa, D., Petrić, D., Genchi, C., & Capelli, G. (2013) · Parasites & Vectors · doi:10.1186/1756-3305-6-16 · Cited by 336 · see citing works
Is heartworm disease really spreading in Europe?
Genchi, C., Rinaldi, L., Cascone, C., Mortarino, M., & Cringoli, G. (2005) · Veterinary Parasitology · doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2005.04.009 · Cited by 222 · see citing works
Genchi, C., Mortarino, M., Rinaldi, L., Cringoli, G., Traldi, G., & Genchi, M. (2011) · Veterinary Parasitology · doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2011.01.012 · Cited by 209 · see citing works
Extraintestinal nematode infections of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Hungary
Sréter, T., Széll, Z., Marucci, G., Pozio, E., & Varga, I. (2003) · Veterinary Parasitology · doi:10.1016/s0304-4017(03)00217-6 · Cited by 117 · see citing works
Self-citationHabitat related differences in helminth parasites of red foxes in the Ebro valley
Gortázar, C., Villafuerte, R., Lucientes, J., & Fernández-de-Luco, D. (1998) · Veterinary Parasitology · doi:10.1016/s0304-4017(98)00192-7 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
A simple molecular method for discriminating common filarial nematodes of dogs (Canis familiaris)
Casiraghi, M., Bazzocchi, C., Mortarino, M., Ottina, E., & Genchi, C. (2006) · Veterinary Parasitology · doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2006.06.006 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
Onchocercosis: A newly recognized disease in dogs
Sréter, T., & Széll, Z. (2008) · Veterinary Parasitology · doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2007.09.008 · Cited by 87 · see citing works
Self-citationHuman dirofilariosis in Hungary: an emerging zoonosis in central Europe
Szénási, Z., Kovács, A. H., Pampiglione, S., Fioravanti, M. L., Kucsera, I., Tánczos, B., & Tiszlavicz, L. (2008) · Wiener klinische Wochenschrift · doi:10.1007/s00508-008-0928-2 · Cited by 74 · see citing works
<i>Vulpes vulpes:</i> A Possible Wild Reservoir for Zoonotic Filariae
Magi, M., Calderini, P., Gabrielli, S., Dell'Omodarme, M., Macchioni, F., Prati, M. C., & Cancrini, G. (2008) · Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases · doi:10.1089/vbz.2007.0207 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
Echinococcus multilocularis and Trichinella spiralis in golden jackals (Canis aureus) of Hungary
Széll, Z., Marucci, G., Pozio, E., et al. (2013) · Veterinary Parasitology · doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2013.04.032 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
Self-citationZoonoticOnchocerca lupiInfection in Dogs, Greece and Portugal, 2011–2012
Otranto, D., Dantas‐Torres, F., Giannelli, A., Latrofa, M. S., Papadopoulos, E., Cardoso, L., & Cortes, H. C. E. (2013) · Emerging infectious diseases · doi:10.3201/eid1912.130264 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Cardiopulmonary helminth parasites of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Catalonia, northeastern Spain
Mañas, S., Ferrer, D., Castellà, J., & Maria López-Martı́n, J. (2005) · The Veterinary Journal · doi:10.1016/j.tvjl.2003.12.011 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Factors Affecting Dirofilaria immitis Prevalence in Red Foxes in Northeastern Spain
Gortazar, C., Castillo, J. A., Lucientes, J., Blanco, J. C., Arriolabengoa, A., & Calvete, C. (1994) · Journal of Wildlife Diseases · doi:10.7589/0090-3558-30.4.545 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
First autochthonous Dirofilaria immitis (Leidy, 1856) infection in a dog in Hungary
Jacsó, O., Mándoki, M., Majoros, G., Pétsch, M., Mortarino, M., Genchi, C., & Fok, É. (2009) · Helminthologia · doi:10.2478/s11687-009-0030-y · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Sréter-Lancz, Z., Széll, Z., & Sréter, T. (2007) · Veterinary Parasitology · doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2007.06.021 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Self-citationMarconcini, A., Magi, M., Macchioni, G., & Sassetti, M. (1996) · Veterinary Research Communications · doi:10.1007/bf00366537 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Széll, Z., Marucci, G., Bajmóczy, E., et al. (2008) · Veterinary Parasitology · doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2008.06.014 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Self-citationMolnár, V., Pazár, P., Rigó, D., Máthé, D., Fok, É., Glávits, R., Vajdovich, P., Jacsó, O., Balogh, L., & Sós, E. (2010) · Journal of Small Animal Practice · doi:10.1111/j.1748-5827.2010.00950.x · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Recent advances on Dirofilaria repens in dogs and humans in Europe
Capelli, G., Genchi, C., Baneth, G., Bourdeau, P., Brianti, E., Cardoso, L., Danesi, P., Fuehrer, H.-P., Giannelli, A., Ionică, A. M., et al. (2018) · Parasites & Vectors · doi:10.1186/s13071-018-3205-x · Cited by 298 · see citing works
Fuehrer, H.-P., Morelli, S., Unterköfler, M. S., Bajer, A., Bakran-Lebl, K., Dwużnik-Szarek, D., Farkas, R., Grandi, G., Heddergott, M., Jokelainen, P., et al. (2021) · Pathogens · doi:10.3390/pathogens10101268 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
Fifth European Dirofilaria and Angiostrongylus Days (FiEDAD) 2016: Vienna, Austria. 11–13 July 2016
Simón, F., Kartashev, V., González-Miguel, J., Rivera, A., Diosdado, A., Gómez, P. J., Morchón, R., Siles-Lucas, M., Kartashev, V., Bastrikov, N., et al. (2017) · Parasites & Vectors · doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1902-x · Cited by 85 · see citing works
Ionică, A. M., Matei, I. A., Mircean, V., Dumitrache, M. O., D’Amico, G., Győrke, A., Pantchev, N., Annoscia, G., Albrechtová, K., Otranto, D., et al. (2015) · Parasitology Research · doi:10.1007/s00436-014-4263-4 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
What has happened to heartworm disease in Europe in the last 10 years?
Morchón, R., Montoya-Alonso, J. A., Rodríguez-Escolar, I., & Carretón, E. (2022) · Pathogens · doi:10.3390/pathogens11091042 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Filarioid infections in wild carnivores: a multispecies survey in Romania
Ionică, A. M., Matei, I. A., D’Amico, G., Ababii, J., Daskalaki, A. A., Sándor, A. D., Enache, D. V., Gherman, C. M., & Mihalca, A. D. (2017) · Parasites & Vectors · doi:10.1186/s13071-017-2269-3 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
The current situation of canine dirofilariosis in Hungary
Farkas, R., Mag, V., Gyurkovszky, M., Takács, N., Vörös, K., & Solymosi, N. (2020) · Parasitology Research · doi:10.1007/s00436-019-06478-5 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Screening blood-fed mosquitoes for the diagnosis of filarioid helminths and avian malaria
Zittra, C., Kocziha, Z., Pinnyei, S., Harl, J., Kieser, K., Laciny, A., Eigner, B., Silbermayr, K., Duscher, G. G., Fok, É., et al. (2015) · Parasites & Vectors · doi:10.1186/s13071-015-0637-4 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Dirofilaria immitis in wolves recolonizing northern Italy: Are wolves competent hosts?
Moroni, B., Rossi, L., Meneguz, P. G., Orusa, R., Zoppi, S., Robetto, S., Marucco, F., & Tizzani, P. (2020) · Parasites & Vectors · doi:10.1186/s13071-020-04353-2 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Role of golden jackals (Canis aureus) as natural reservoirs of Dirofilaria spp. in Romania
Ionică, A. M., Matei, I. A., D’Amico, G., Daskalaki, A. A., Juránková, J., Ionescu, D. T., Mihalca, A. D., Modrý, D., & Gherman, C. M. (2016) · Parasites & Vectors · doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1524-3 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Kemenesi, G., Kurucz, K., Kepner, A., Dallos, B., Oldal, M., Herczeg, R., Vajdovics, P., Bányai, K., & Jakab, F. (2015) · Veterinary Parasitology · doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2015.09.010 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
MOLECULAR INVESTIGATION OF VECTOR-BORNE PATHOGENS IN RED FOXES (VULPES VULPES) FROM SOUTHERN FRANCE
Medkour, H., Laidoudi, Y., Marié, J.-L., Fenollar, F., Davoust, B., & Mediannikov, O. (2020) · Journal of Wildlife Diseases · doi:10.7589/2019-09-234 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Ciucă, L., Musella, V., Miron, L. D., Maurelli, M. P., Cringoli, G., Bosco, A., & Rinaldi, L. (2016) · Geospatial Health · doi:10.4081/gh.2016.499 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Retrospective study on the distribution of Dirofilaria immitis in dogs in Hungary
Bacsadi, Á., Papp, A., Szeredi, L., Tóth, G., Nemes, C., Imre, V., Tolnai, Z., Széll, Z., & Sréter, T. (2016) · Veterinary Parasitology · doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2016.03.001 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Self-citationCurrent trends in canine dirofilariosis in Austria-do we face a pre-endemic status?
Sonnberger, K., Duscher, G. G., Fuehrer, H.-P., & Leschnik, M. (2020) · Parasitology Research · doi:10.1007/s00436-019-06576-4 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
First molecular identification of Dirofilaria spp. (Onchocercidae) in mosquitoes from Serbia
Kurucz, K., Kepner, A., Krtinic, B., Zana, B., Földes, F., Bányai, K., Oldal, M., Jakab, F., & Kemenesi, G. (2016) · Parasitology Research · doi:10.1007/s00436-016-5126-y · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Hattendorf, C., & Lühken, R. (2025) · Infectious Diseases of Poverty · doi:10.1186/s40249-025-01328-2 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Potkonjak, A., Rojas, A., Gutiérrez, R., Nachum-Biala, Y., Kleinerman, G., Savić, S., Polaček, V., Pušić, I., Harrus, S., & Baneth, G. (2020) · Comparative Immunology, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases · doi:10.1016/j.cimid.2019.101409 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Cardiopulmonary parasitic nematodes of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in Serbia
Gavrilović, P., Dobrosavljević, I., Vasković, N., Todorović, I., Živulj, A., Kureljušić, B., & Pavlović, I. (2019) · Acta Veterinaria Hungarica · doi:10.1556/004.2019.007 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Szentivanyi, T., V. González, L., Klein, Á., Soltész, Z., & Garamszegi, L. Z. (2025) · Parasites & Vectors · doi:10.1186/s13071-025-06882-0 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Panayotova-Pencheva, M., Šnábel, V., Dakova, V., Čabanová, V., Cavallero, S., Trifonova, A., Mirchev, R., Hurníková, Z., Vasilková, Z., & Miterpáková, M. (2020) · Helminthologia · doi:10.2478/helm-2020-0026 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
First report of heartworm ( <i>Dirofilaria immitis</i> ) infection in an imported dog in Lithuania
Sabūnas, V., Radzijevskaja, J., Sakalauskas, P., & Paulauskas, A. (2019) · Helminthologia · doi:10.2478/helm-2018-0036 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
- Authors
- Tolnai, Z., Széll, Z., Sproch, Á., Szeredi, L., & Sréter, T.
- Affiliations
- National Food Chain Safety Office (HU)
- Corresponding author
- Sréter, T.
- Venue
- Veterinary Parasitology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2014-07
- Volume
- 203
- Issue
- 3-4
- Pages
- 339-342
- ISSN
- 0304-4017 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2058450066
- Cited by
- 95
- References
- 23
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 5.37
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Veterinary Parasitology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › Parasitic Diseases Research and Treatment
- Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Helminth infection and control
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Research on Leishmaniasis Studies
- Keywords
- Dirofilaria immitis, autochthonous infection, Hungary, dogs, red fox, golden jackal, wild canids, prevalence, infection intensity, 12S rDNA, emerging parasites, zoonotic parasites
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Dirofilaria immitis, Dirofilariasis, Disease Reservoirs, Dog Diseases, Dogs, Female, Foxes, Hungary, Male, RNA, Ribosomal, Prevalence, Communicable Diseases, Emerging, Canidae, Jackals
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
