Identificação de Dirofilaria immitis em cães do Sertão Paraibano e de microfilárias em lesão tumoral cutânea de um cão naturalmente infectado.

Abstract

Canine heartworm comprises a neglected parasitic disease in many regions but has undergone changes in its epidemiology in recent years. To better understand these changes, the objective of this research was to identify the presence of this parasitic disease and to determine the main epidemiological aspects associated with D. immitis infection in the city of Patos-PB, as well as the description of the incidental identification of microfilariae in a neoplastic lesion of an asymptomatic dog for parasitic infection. For this purpose, 120 native dogs were sampled and analyzed by modified Knott methods for microfilariae and ELISA for the detection of parasitic antigens. Based on the results obtained, it was possible to measure a frequency of 4.17% of positive dogs in at least one diagnostic test used, located in the neighborhoods of Jardim Magnólia, Noé Trajano, Alto da Tubiba and Novo Horizonte. In addition, it was found that the majority of the positive animals were male, above six years of age, medium-sized, mongrel, living in environments with little or no cleaning performance, domiciled or semi22 domiciled and who have not received worming, ivermectin or doxycycline during its entire life. In the case report, a six-year-old male dog, native to the region, was attended with an ulcerated tumor lesion draining profuse bloody secretion, which during cytological examination was identified as a transmissible canine venereal tumor. In the same diagnostic tool, amastigote forms of Leishmania sp. and microfilariae of D. immitis was seen among neoplastic cells, beingthe animal asymptomatic for both parasitic diseases, and, therefore, assuming role of reservoir in the disease transmission cycle. Thus, it can be concluded that the city of Patos, located in the Paraíba's backwoods, have infected animals with parasitoses of great importance for public health, evidencing that both other animals and humans in the region are exposed to infections. Control and prophylaxis measures to restrict the biological cycle of the vectors and, thus, the expansion of disease occurrence areas are needed.