Dirofilaria repens in canine testicles in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

In Europe, canine and feline dirofilariosis are primarily caused by Dirofilaria immitis and D. repens. The present report describes a case of D. repens infection of the testicular subcutaneous connective tissue in a dog from northeastern Bosnia. A nine-year-old, outdoorkept, mixed-breed dog, with occasional paresis of the hind legs, was clinically examined and showed four nodules on testicles, several skin lesions, alopecia and erythematous pruritic rash in ventral abdominal and perineal region. Six adults (length from 8 to 12 cm) were isolated after indicated orchiectomy and identified as D. repens. A blood sample was analyzed with a Knott’s technique, acid phosphatase staining, ELISA testing and multiplex PCR assay. Tissue cyst samples were stained with modified Wright technique. The SNAP Heartworm test did not detect D. immitis antigen and molecular PCR identification showed that the sequence was D. repens with the highest similarity (99%) to the isolate from a dog. Description of D. repens clinical presentation in the present case report suggests that infection should be included in the differential diagnosis in all dogs with nodular subcutaneous lesions and pruritus since the potential spread of parasite within dog population may increase the risk of human infections.