First Molecular Detection of Dirofilaria immitis and D. repens in Dogs from Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

Background Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens are the causative agents of cardiopulmonary and subcutaneous dirofilariosis, respectively. This neglected disease mainly seen in dogs, cats and wild carnivores is re-emerging recent years. No study was conducted on dirofilariosis in dogs in Kyrgyzstan. Purpose The goal of this study was to investigate Dirofilaria species using PCR and sequencing in dogs from Kyrgyzstan. Method Dirofilaria spp. infection in dogs was screened via convential PCR and sequencing in 337 dogs from Kyrgyzstan. Result The overall prevalence of Dirofilaria spp. was 0.59% (2/337): DNA of D. immitis was detected in one sample and DNA of D. repens in second positive sample. In second sample, parallel co-infection of D. repens with Wolbachia was also found. While D. immitis sequence showed 98.70-100% similarity with previously reported sequences of D. immitis from dog blood, D. repens shared 100% identity with other sequences of D. repens. Conclusion These results provided first evidence for Dirofilaria spp. in Kyrgyzstan and emphasized the veterinary and medical importance.

First Molecular Evidence of Babesia vogeli, Babesia vulpes, and Theileria ovis in Dogs from Kyrgyzstan

“…The country has a continental climate, with hot summers and cold winters, and is surrounded by mountains. In this study, DNA samples were obtained from a study conducted by our team [ 16 ] and these DNA samples were stored in Sivas Cumhuriyet University Parasitology Department Laboratories under appropriate conditions. To summarize, the blood samples were collected from 337 shelter dogs in Bishkek between 2017 and 2019.…”

“…To date, no record of canine babesiosis has been found in the literature in Kyrgyzstan. Recently, we reported the first molecular presence and prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis ( D. immitis ) and D. repens [ 16 ], canine and bovine hemotropic mycoplasma species [ 17 , 18 ], and canine hepatozoonozis in dogs from Kyrgyzstan [ 19 ]. On the other hand, the presence of T. orientalis, T. annulata, B. major [ 20 , 21 ], Anaplasma centrale ( A. centrale ) , A. phagocytophilum -like 1, A. capra , and A. ovis were revealed in cattle and sheep [ 22 , 23 ].…”