Heat treatment prior to testing allows detection of antigen of Dirofilaria immitis in feline serum
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Diagnosis of Dirofilaria immitis infection in cats is complicated by the difficulty associated with reliable detection of antigen in feline blood and serum samples. METHODS: To determine if antigen-antibody complex formation may interfere with detection of antigen in feline samples, we evaluated the performance of four different commercially available heartworm tests using serum samples from six cats experimentally infected with D. immitis and confirmed to harbor a low number of adult worms (mean = 2.0). Sera collected 168 (n = 6), 196 (n = 6), and 224 (n = 6) days post infection were tested both directly and following heat treatment. RESULTS: Antigen was detected in serum samples from 0 or 1 of 6 infected cats using the assays according to manufacturer's directions, but after heat treatment of serum samples, as many as 5 of 6 cats had detectable antigen 6-8 months post infection. Antibodies to D. immitis were detected in all six infected cats by commercial in-clinic assay and at a reference laboratory. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that heat treatment of samples prior to testing can improve the sensitivity of antigen assays in feline patients, supporting more accurate diagnosis of this infection in cats. Surveys conducted by antigen testing without prior heat treatment of samples likely underestimate the true prevalence of infection in cats.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
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?
Antigen test may be negative in some patients with an infection from a single female adult worm.
“Furthermore, the test may be negative in some patients with an infection from a single female adult worm [21,22].”
From First epidemiological report of feline heartworm infection in the Barcelona metropolitan area (Spain) (2014) · cites this paper as [22]
Antigen-antibody complex formation can greatly interfere with the detection of D. immitis antigen.
“The main hypotheses that justify these divergent results could be the antigen-antibody complex formation that can greatly interfere with the detection of the antigen (Brunner et al., 1988;Tonelli and Quentin, 1989;Little et al., 2014).”
From Prevalence and seasonal variations of canine dirofilariosis in Portugal (2014) · cites this paper as Little et al., 2014
Heat pretreatment of feline and canine serum or plasma samples improves the sensitivity of these commercial antigen assays in cats (and dogs) carrying only a few adult female worms by releasing antigens blocked within circulating immune complexes.
“heat pretreatment of feline and canine serum or plasma samples improves the sensitivity of these commercial antigen assays in cats (and dogs) carrying only a few adult female worms by releasing antigens blocked within circulating immune complexes.”
From Dirofilarioses in cats: European guidelines from the ABCD on prevention and management (2020) · cites this paper as [48]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Biostatistics: A Foundation for Analysis in the Health Sciences.
Rosenfeld, B., & Daniel, W. W. (1984) · Journal of the American Statistical Association · doi:10.2307/2288760 · Cited by 2,841 · see citing works
Veterinary Clinical Parasitology
Benbrook, E. A., & Sloss, M. W. (1955) · Iowa State University Press eBooks · doi:10.31274/isudp.1955.76 · Cited by 1,093 · 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
Nelson, C. T., McCall, J. W., Rubin, S. B., Buzhardt, L. F., Dorion, D. W., Graham, W., Longhofer, S. L., Guerrero, J., Robertson-Plouch, C. K., & Paul, A. J. (2005) · Veterinary Parasitology · doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2005.07.009 · Cited by 176 · see citing works
Wheat, L. J., & Walsh, T. J. (2008) · European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases · doi:10.1007/s10096-007-0437-7 · Cited by 138 · see citing works
Monoclonal antibodies to parasite antigens found in the serum of Dirofilaria immitis -infected dogs.
Weil, G. J., Malane, M. S., Powers, K. G., et al. (1985) · The Journal of Immunology · doi:10.4049/jimmunol.134.2.1185 · Cited by 100 · see citing works
Understanding Feline Heartworm Infection: Disease, Diagnosis, and Treatment
Lee, A. C. Y., & Atkins, C. E. (2010) · Topics in Companion Animal Medicine · doi:10.1053/j.tcam.2010.09.003 · Cited by 93 · see citing works
Atkins, C. E. (2003) · Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association · doi:10.2460/javma.2003.222.1221 · Cited by 91 · see citing works
Comparison of heartworm antigen test kit performance in dogs having low heartworm burdens
Courtney, C. H., & Zeng, Q.-Y. (2001) · Veterinary Parasitology · doi:10.1016/s0304-4017(01)00374-0 · Cited by 81 · see citing works
Improved Detection of Histoplasma Antigenemia following Dissociation of Immune Complexes
Swartzentruber, S., LeMonte, A. M., Witt, J. R., et al. (2009) · Clinical and Vaccine Immunology · doi:10.1128/cvi.00409-08 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Clinical evolution and radiographic findings of feline heartworm infection in asymptomatic cats
Venco, L., Genchi, C., Genchi, M., Grandi, G., & Kramer, L. H. (2008) · Veterinary Parasitology · doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2008.09.011 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Canine and feline dirofilariasis: life cycle, pathophysiology, and diagnosis.
Hoch, H., & Strickland, K. N. (2008) · PubMed · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Comparison of serologic tests for detection of antigen in canine heartworm infections
Brunner, C. J., Hendrix, C. M., Blagburn, B. L., & Hanrahan, L. A. (1988) · Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association · doi:10.2460/javma.1988.192.10.1423 · Cited by 39 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Once these complexes are disrupted, the assays are able to accurately detect antigen [8-10].”
BackgroundSelf-citationDetection of Circulating Parasite Antigens in Canine Dirofilariasis by Counterimmunoelectrophoresis
Weil, G. J., Malane, M. S., & Powers, K. G. (1984) · American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene · doi:10.4269/ajtmh.1984.33.425 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Detection of Wolbachia DNA in Blood for Diagnosing Filaria-Associated Syndromes in Cats
Turba, M. E., Zambon, E., Zannoni, A., Russo, S., & Gentilini, F. (2012) · Journal of Clinical Microbiology · doi:10.1128/jcm.00528-12 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Lorentzen, L., & Caola, A. E. (2008) · Veterinary Parasitology · doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2008.09.006 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Dirofilaria immitis in cats: diagnosis and management.
Nelson, C. (2008) · PubMed · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- Nelson CT Feline heartworm infection: diagnosis and management Compend Contin Educ Pract Vet 2008 30 393 400 18825639
- Tonelli QJ Quentin AB Factors affecting the accuracy of enzyme immunoassays for Dirofilaria immitis adult antigen Proceedings Am Heartworm Symp 1989 Washington, DC: American Heartworm Society 161 165
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Little, S., Saleh, M., Wohltjen, M., & Nagamori, Y. (2018) · Parasites & Vectors · doi:10.1186/s13071-018-2736-5 · Cited by 93 · see citing works
Self-citationFeline heartworm disease: A'Rubik's-cube-like' diagnostic and therapeutic challenge
Venco, L., Marchesotti, F., & Manzocchi, S. (2015) · Journal of Veterinary Cardiology · doi:10.1016/j.jvc.2015.08.004 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Venco, L., Manzocchi, S., Genchi, M., & Kramer, L. H. (2017) · Parasites & Vectors · doi:10.1186/s13071-017-2444-6 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
Drake, J., Gruntmeir, J., Merritt, H., Allen, L., & Little, S. E. (2015) · Parasites & Vectors · doi:10.1186/s13071-015-0698-4 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
Self-citationIncreased prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis antigen in canine samples after heat treatment
Velasquez, L., Blagburn, B. L., Duncan-Decoq, R., Johnson, E. M., Allen, K. E., Meinkoth, J., Gruntmeir, J., & Little, S. E. (2014) · Veterinary Parasitology · doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2014.03.021 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Self-citationDirofilaria infections in dogs in different areas of Greece
Diakou, A., Kapantaidakis, E., Tamvakis, A., Giannakis, V., & Strus, N. (2016) · Parasites & Vectors · doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1797-6 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Dirofilarioses in cats: European guidelines from the ABCD on prevention and management
Pennisi, M. G., Tasker, S., Hartmann, K., Belák, S., Addie, D., Boucraut-Baralon, C., Egberink, H., Frymus, T., Hofmann-Lehmann, R., Hosie, M., et al. (2020) · Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery · doi:10.1177/1098612x20917601 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Prevalence and seasonal variations of canine dirofilariosis in Portugal
Alho, A. M., Landum, M., Ferreira, C., Meireles, J., Gonçalves, L., de Carvalho, L. M., & Belo, S. (2014) · Veterinary Parasitology · doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2014.08.014 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Savadelis, M. D., Ohmes, C. M., Hostetler, J. A., Settje, T. L., Zolynas, R., Dzimianski, M. T., & Moorhead, A. R. (2017) · Parasites & Vectors · doi:10.1186/s13071-017-2190-9 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Self-citationCiucă, L., Genchi, M., Kramer, L., Mangia, C., Miron, L. D., Prete, L. D., Maurelli, M. P., Cringoli, G., & Rinaldi, L. (2016) · Veterinary Parasitology · doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2016.05.032 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Feline asthma and heartworm disease: Clinical features, diagnostics and therapeutics
Garrity, S., Lee-Fowler, T., & Reinero, C. (2019) · Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery · doi:10.1177/1098612x18823348 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Impact of heat treatment on Dirofilaria immitis antigen detection in shelter dogs
DiGangi, B. A., Dworkin, C., Stull, J. W., O’Quin, J., Elser, M., Marsh, A. E., Groshong, L., Wolfson, W., Duhon, B., Broaddus, K., et al. (2017) · Parasites & Vectors · doi:10.1186/s13071-017-2443-7 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Increased detection of <i>Dirofilaria immitis</i> antigen in cats after heat pretreatment of samples
Gruntmeir, J. M., Adolph, C. B., Thomas, J. E., Reichard, M. V., Blagburn, B. L., & Little, S. E. (2017) · Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery · doi:10.1177/1098612x16670562 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Self-citationDillon, A. R., Blagburn, B. L., Tillson, M., Brawner, W., Welles, B., Johnson, C., Cattley, R., Rynders, P., & Barney, S. (2017) · Parasites & Vectors · doi:10.1186/s13071-017-2425-9 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Self-citationMontoya-Alonso, J. A., Carretón, E., García-Guasch, L., Expósito, J., Armario, B., Morchón, R., & Simón, F. (2014) · Parasites & Vectors · doi:10.1186/s13071-014-0506-6 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Levy, J. K., Burling, A. N., Crandall, M. M., Tucker, S. J., Wood, E. G., & Foster, J. D. (2017) · Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association · doi:10.2460/javma.250.8.873 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
- Authors
- Little, S. E., Raymond, M. R., Thomas, J. E., Gruntmeir, J., Hostetler, J. A., Meinkoth, J. H., & Blagburn, B. L.
- Affiliations
- Oklahoma State University (US)
- Auburn University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Little, Susan E
- Venue
- Parasites & Vectors
- Published
- 2014
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 1
- ISSN
- 1756-3305 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3895812
- OpenAlex
- W2103047483
- Cited by
- 286
- References
- 17
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 31 · 2024: 28 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 33 · 2020: 28 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 34 · 2016: 30 · 2015: 18 · 2014: 12
- FWCI
- 21.95
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Parasites & Vectors (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Sanofi
- Oklahoma State University
- National Center for Veterinary Parasitology
- Bayer HealthCare
- 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, feline heartworm disease, immune complexes, diagnostic sensitivity, antibody detection, cats, experimental infection
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Antigens, Helminth, Cat Diseases, Cats, Dirofilaria immitis, Dirofilariasis, Female, Hot Temperature, Male
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
