Fifth European Dirofilaria and Angiostrongylus Days (FiEDAD) 2016: Vienna, Austria. 11–13 July 2016

Abstract

Parasites & Vectors 2016, 10(Suppl 1):A4 Dirofilaria immitis and D. repens are filarioid helminths with domestic and wild canids as main hosts and mosquitoes as vectors.Both species are known to be zoonotic.Dirofilaria repens and D. immitis seem associated with climate change and a spread from historically endemic countries in Southern Europe to Central Europa was observed.Until very recently both species were known not to be endemic in Austria [1].In Austria most cases of Dirofilaria spp. in humans and dogs are introduced.However, rarely infections with D. repens were discussed to be autochthonous.The introduction of D. repens to Austria was confirmed within a mosquito surveillance in Burgenland (Eastern Austria) for the first time in its vector [2,3,4].We summarize not only introduced and possible autochthonous cases of Dirofilaria sp. in humans, dogs and vectors in Austria, but will also present data of mosquito screenings conducted after the first findings of D. repens in Anopheles algeriensis and the An.maculipennis-complex [3].Moreover novel diagnostic tools for these filarioid helminths will be presented.This study was funded by the ERA-Net BiodivERsA, with the national funders FWF I-1437, ANR-13-EBID-0007-01 and DFG BiodivERsA KL 2087