title: Prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis in dogs from Hatay province, Turkey.
abstract: The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of canine dirofilariosis in Hatay province, south of Turkey. A total of 269 blood samples were collected from owned dogs in this multi-centre survey between March and July 2006. Blood samples were examined by modified Knott and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) techniques to detect circulating microfilariae and antigens of Dirofilaria immitis, respectively. Seventy out of 269 dogs (26.0%) were positive for D. immitis. However, 61.4% of positive dogs had occult infection. The prevalence of canine dirofilariosis was heterogeneous in Hatay province, with higher values in shoreline (33.0%) and riverside (30.9%) areas followed by the lowland (25.5%) or mountainous (15.2%) areas. No statistically significant differences were observed in relation to sex (females, 33.3%; males, 24.4%, P>0.05). When evaluating the prevalence of D. immitis by age, the highest prevalence was observed in dogs older than 4 years of age. Large breeds (29.6%) and the dogs living outdoors (30.2%) showed a higher prevalence in comparison to small breeds (21.4%) and the dogs living indoors (10.5%), respectively. In conclusion, according to the results of this study canine dirofilariosis had a high prevalence in Hatay province. Therefore, prophylaxis against heartworm is advisable to decrease the incidence of canine dirofilariosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Mustafa Kemal, 31040 Hatay, Turkey.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yaman
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guzel
authors.forename: I S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Koltas
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Demirkazik
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aktas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004183:Dirofilaria immitis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004184:Dirofilariasis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology