acid-phosphatase and Dirofilariasis

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Animals; Blood; Centrifugation; Diagnosis, Differential; Dipetalonema; Dirofilariasis; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Female; Filarioidea; Filtration; Hematocrit; Histocytochemistry; Male; Methylene Blue; Nematode Infections; Saponins

Considering the increasing importance of small animals travel medicine and the spread of filariae with zoonotic potential to non-endemic European areas, routine filarial diagnosis in dogs is becoming important. Dirofilaria immitis, D. repens, Acanthocheilonema dracunculoides and A. reconditum are the most common canine filarial nematodes presenting blood circulating microfilariae (mf) which can be differentiated to species level by the acid phosphatase activity patterns or by PCR. Available data on the size of the mf vary considerably in the literature. The aim of this study was to validate morphometric criteria for filarial identification in blood samples of dogs after concentration of mf with the modified Knott's technique.. Morphometric analysis of 10 mf from samples identified to species level by acid phosphatase activity and partially confirmed by PCR were performed with specimens from 377 dogs.. The mean length and width of D. immitis mf from 60 dogs were 301.77 ± 6.29 μm and 6.30 ± 0.26 μm, of D. repens mf from 171 dogs 369.44 ± 10.76 μm 8.87 ± 0.58 μm, of A. dracunculoides mf from 133 dogs 259.43 ± 6.69 μm and 5.09 ± 0.47 μm and of A. reconditum mf from 13 dogs 264.83 ± 5.47 μm and 4.63 ± 0.52 μm.For a subset of 30 samples, morphometric analysis was repeated with identical results in two laboratories. Furthermore, the size of mf concentrated and fixed by the Knott's technique was shown to be stable over 105 days.. The Knott's test enables to clearly distinguish between D. immitis, D. repens and Acanthocheilonema spp. However, due to the overlapping size ranges of A. dracunculoides and A. reconditum, biochemical or molecular methods are required to distinguish these two species.

Topics: Acanthocheilonema; Acanthocheilonemiasis; Acid Phosphatase; Animals; Body Size; Dirofilaria immitis; Dirofilaria repens; Dirofilariasis; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Female; Helminth Proteins; Male; Microfilariae; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Species Specificity

This study was performed to compare acid-phosphatase staining with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis for the diagnosis of Dirofilaria repens infection. The infection of D. repens was confirmed in Korean reared German shepherd dogs. Knott's tests were carried out for the detection of microfilaria in 543 Korean reared German shepherd dogs (255 females and 288 males). Eighty four of the 543 dogs (15.5%) showed microfilaria-positive reactions with the modified Knott's test, and the test-positive microfilariae were then examined by both acid phosphatase staining and PCR analysis. Six (7.1%) and 17 (20.2%) of the 84 microfilaria-positive samples, by the Knott's tests were positive to D. repens by acid-phosphatase staining and in D. repens-specific PCR analysis, respectively. All samples found to be positive by the acid-phosphatase staining were also found to be positive by PCR analysis. Therefore, we conclude that PCR analysis (20.2%) is more valuable for the diagnosis of D. repens infection than acid-phosphatase staining (7.1%) (p<0.001).

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Animals; Dirofilaria; Dirofilariasis; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Female; Korea; Male; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Sensitivity and Specificity; Staining and Labeling

Dirofilaria immitis was diagnosed in 4 of 13 indigenous dogs from the Province of Zambézia, Mozambique, by acid phosphatase staining of microfilariae. The finding reconfirms the occurrence of the parasite in Mozambique after 3 decades and emphasises the need for extensive surveys. Additionally, in 1 of the infected dogs, microfilariae of Dipetalonema reconditum were detected, which is the 1st record of this parasite in Mozambique.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Animals; Dirofilaria immitis; Dirofilariasis; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Mozambique; Staining and Labeling

The diagnosis of canine heartworm infection is based upon the presence of circulating Dirofilaria immitis microfilariae or on techniques for the detection of serum antibodies or antigens. In the first of these, discrimination between D. immitis, D. repens and Acanthocheilonema dracunculoides microfilariae is based upon the acid phosphatase histochemical stain. In this paper, we propose an alternative technique for histochemical staining using a commercial kit test of naphthol-AS-OL (Leucognost-SP). This offers the advantages of speed and simplicity as compared to the standard Barka procedure.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Animals; Diagnosis, Differential; Dipetalonema; Dipetalonema Infections; Dirofilaria; Dirofilaria immitis; Dirofilariasis; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Histocytochemistry; Microfilariae; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic

Acute liver failure was diagnosed in a 12-year-old cat. Fine needle aspirate cytology revealed high numbers of unsheathed microfilariae and a hepatocellular reaction with no evidence of bacterial infection. The microfilariae were identified as those of Dirofilaria repens by acid phosphatase staining. The high number of microfilariae seen in both the blood and the liver aspirate samples as well as the favourable response to ivermectin amongst other drugs administered, is suggestive that D. repens was the cause of the liver insult. A positive result obtained with an antigen-capture ELISA (Dirochek) for Dirofilaria immitis antigen was interpreted as false. This is the 1st report of Dirofilaria repens for South Africa.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Animals; Biopsy, Needle; Cat Diseases; Cats; Dirofilaria; Dirofilariasis; Female; Filaricides; Ivermectin; Liver Failure, Acute; Male

Microfilarial infections could be detected by the Difil Test in 11 (2.2%) of 479 blood samples of clinically asymptomatic dogs from the South of Switzerland. Dirofilaria repens and D. immitis were identified in 3 (0.6%) and 8 dogs (1.6%), respectively, by the acid phosphatase activity of the microfilariae. 10 dogs with microfilaremia had been abroad or a stay outside Switzerland could not be excluded. One dog diagnosed with D. immitis could have had acquired the infection in the canton Tessin according to information given by the owner. Dogs with microfilaremia are a potential source of infection for mosquitoes. An indigenous cycle of infection in the South of Switzerland is possible since the mean average temperature in summer is above 18 degrees C which is necessary for optimal parasite development in the vector. A strict control of imported dogs or animals exposed to the disease in endemic regions as well as the therapy of infected dogs in the South of Switzerland is advisable.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Animals; Dirofilaria; Dirofilaria immitis; Dirofilariasis; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Female; Male; Microfilariae; Switzerland

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Animals; Dipetalonema; Dipetalonema Infections; Dirofilaria immitis; Dirofilariasis; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Filariasis; Filarioidea; Filtration; Histocytochemistry

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Animals; Diagnosis, Differential; Dipetalonema; Dirofilariasis; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Female; Filarioidea; Histocytochemistry; Male; Nematode Infections