Molecular investigation of Dirofilaria repens, Dirofilaria immitis and Acanthocheilonema reconditum in stray dogs and cats in Ukraine
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BACKGROUND: The increasing population of stray dogs and cats in Ukraine poses an important risk of the transmission of vector-borne parasites, particularly Dirofilariarepens, Dirofilaria immitis and Acanthocheilonema reconditum, all of which are zoonotic and may affect human health. Despite numerous reports of human dirofilariosis in Ukraine, epidemiological data on these filarial parasites in companion animals remain limited. The aim of the study was to conduct a molecular epidemiological survey to assess the prevalence of filarial infections in stray dogs and cats across Ukraine and evaluate factors associated with infection in dogs. In collaboration with the European Scientific Counsel Companion Animal Parasites (ESCCAP) and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), a total of 457 blood samples (233 dogs and 224 cats) were collected between March and December 2023 from Berdychiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, Sumy and Zvenyhorodka. Molecular detection of D. repens, D. immitis, and A. reconditum was performed using a two-step quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay with novel species-specific primers. RESULTS: The method demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity, capable of detecting DNA from a single microfilaria, with no evidence of cross-reactivity among target species. Among the canine samples, 66 (28.3%) tested positive for at least one filarial species, including cases of both mono- and co-infection. In contrast, only 8 feline samples (3.6%) were positive for D. repens or D. immitis. Statistical analysis revealed a higher prevalence among male dogs and those weighing over 10 kg, while the lowest prevalence was observed in the youngest age group (< 3 years). CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide the first molecular evidence of Dirofilaria spp. and A. reconditum infections in stray animals from several under-studied areas of Ukraine, highlighting the relevance of the One Health approach in mitigating the risk of zoonotic transmission.
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Age is not necessarily associated with a greater risk of infection per unit of time, but prevalence tends to increase with host age, most likely reflecting cumulative exposure over time in endemic areas.
“Likewise, although age is not necessarily associated with a greater risk of infection per unit of time, prevalence tends to increase with host age, most likely reflecting cumulative exposure over time in endemic areas (4, 5, 8–13).”
From Deciphering the socio-environmental factors associated with realized heartworm transmission risk in dogs from Portugal and Spain (2026) · cites this paper as [11]
The Discussion reports lower filarial prevalence in dogs under 3 than in older dogs and suggests longer exposure to mosquito bites as one explanation. The Results show that prevalence was highest at ages 3–10, not progressively higher with age, and the paper does not assess infection risk per unit of time. No page numbers are provided in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.85)
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Morchón, R., Balmori-de la Puente, A., Infante González-Mohino, E., Esteves-Guimarães, J., Busquets, P., Fontes-Sousa, A. P., Carretón, E., & Montoya-Alonso, J. A. (2026) · Frontiers in Veterinary Science · doi:10.3389/fvets.2026.1812406 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
- Authors
- Pękacz, M., Slivinska, K., Vyniarska, A., Basałaj, K., Kalinowska, A., Wesołowska, A., Laskowska, A., Kysterna, O., Klietsov, A., Miterpáková, M., Mihalca, A. D., Gawor, J., Kharchenko, V., & Zawistowska-Deniziak, A.
- Affiliations
- University of Warsaw (PL)
- National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (UA)
- Stepan Gzhytskyi National University of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnologies Lviv (UA)
- Museum and Institute of Zoology (PL)
- Sumy National Agrarian University (UA)
- Slovak Academy of Sciences (SK)
- University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca (RO)
- ORCID
- Venue
- BMC Veterinary Research
- Published
- 2025-07-05
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 438-438
- ISSN
- 1746-6148 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC12228257
- OpenAlex
- W4412026644
- Cited by
- 3
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3
- FWCI
- 2.31
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- BMC Veterinary Research (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- Narodowe Centrum Nauki (2023/49/N/NZ6/03309)
- MSCA4Ukraine (101101923)
- 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 repens, Dirofilaria immitis, Acanthocheilonema reconditum, stray dogs, stray cats, filarial infection prevalence, zoonotic transmission, One Health, co-infection, risk factors, Ukraine, companion animal parasites
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Cat Diseases, Cats, Dirofilaria immitis, Dirofilariasis, Dog Diseases, Dogs, Female, Male, Ukraine, Prevalence, Dirofilaria repens, Acanthocheilonemiasis, Acanthocheilonema
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