Seroprevalence of heartworm infection, risk factors for seropositivity, and frequency of prescribing heartworm preventives for cats in the United States and Canada
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine the seroprevalence of heartworm infection, risk factors for seropositivity, and frequency of prescribing heartworm preventives for cats. DESIGN Prospective cross-sectional study. ANIMALS 34,975 cats from 1,353 veterinary clinics (n = 26,707) and 125 animal shelters (8,268) in the United States and Canada. PROCEDURES Blood samples were collected from all cats and tested with a point-of-care ELISA for Dirofilaria immitis antigen, FeLV antigen, and FIV antibody. Results were compared among geographic regions and various cat groupings. RESULTS Seropositivity for heartworm antigen in cats was identified in 35 states but not in Canada; overall seroprevalence in the United States was 0.4%. Seroprevalence of heartworm infection was highest in the southern United States. A 3-fold increase in the proportion of seropositive cats was identified for those with (vs without) outdoor access, and a 2.5-fold increase was identified for cats that were unhealthy (vs healthy) when tested. Seroprevalence was 0.3% in healthy cats, 0.7% in cats with oral disease, 0.9% in cats with abscesses or bite wounds, and 1.0% in cats with respiratory disease. Coinfection with a retrovirus increased the risk of heartworm infection. Heartworm preventives were prescribed for only 12.6% of cats at testing, and prescribing was more common in regions with a higher seroprevalence. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE At an estimated prevalence of 0.4%, hundreds of thousands of cats in the United States are likely infected with heartworms. Given the difficulty in diagnosing infection at all clinically relevant parasite stages and lack of curative treatment options, efforts should be increased to ensure all cats receive heartworm preventives.
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Cats represent imperfect hosts for D. immitis.
“Cats represent imperfect hosts for D. immitis.”
From First Autochthonous Infection of a Cat with Dirofilaria immitis in Austria (2021) · cites this paper as [7]
Outdoor cats have a three-fold higher risk of being antigen-positive.
“Outdoor cats have a three-fold higher risk of being antigen-positive”
From Dirofilarioses in cats: European guidelines from the ABCD on prevention and management (2020) · cites this paper as [22]
Awareness of the importance of feline HWD prevention is low.
“Unfortunately, awareness of the importance of feline HWD prevention seems to be low; and/or prophylaxis is often neglected, especially in cat shelters, for economic reasons.22,61,62”
From Dirofilarioses in cats: European guidelines from the ABCD on prevention and management (2020) · cites this paper as [22]
Prophylaxis for feline HWD is often neglected, especially in cat shelters, for economic reasons.
“Unfortunately, awareness of the importance of feline HWD prevention seems to be low; and/or prophylaxis is often neglected, especially in cat shelters, for economic reasons.22,61,62”
From Dirofilarioses in cats: European guidelines from the ABCD on prevention and management (2020) · cites this paper as [22]
About one-third of all D immitis antigen-positive cats live indoors.
“Although a recent study found that outdoor cats had a three-fold increased risk of being D immitis antigen-positive, it is known that about one-third of all antigen-positive cats actually live indoors. 22”
From Dirofilarioses in cats: European guidelines from the ABCD on prevention and management (2020) · cites this paper as [22]
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- Authors
- Levy, J. K., Burling, A. N., Crandall, M. M., Tucker, S. J., Wood, E. G., & Foster, J. D.
- ORCID
- Levy, Julie K.
- Venue
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Published
- 2017-04-15
- Volume
- 250
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 873-880
- ISSN
- 0003-1488 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2597515515
- Cited by
- 21
- References
- 21
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 2
- FWCI
- 2.11
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (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
- feline heartworm disease, Dirofilaria immitis, seroprevalence, cats, risk factors, outdoor access, FIV, animal shelters, regional variation
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Anthelmintics, Antibodies, Helminth, Canada, Cat Diseases, Cats, Cross-Sectional Studies, Dirofilaria immitis, Dirofilariasis, Female, Male, Practice Patterns, Physicians', Prospective Studies, Risk Factors, United States, Veterinary Medicine, Seroepidemiologic Studies
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