Circulation of Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens in the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, Romania

A study in the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, Romania, revealed significant circulation of Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens, with higher prevalence of D. immitis (4.53%) compared to D. repens (1.09%) in mosquito pools across four trapping sites. The research, based on a longitudinal study involving 240,572 female mosquitoes collected between April and September 2014, identified Anopheles maculipennis as the most significant vector for both parasites, with estimated infection rates (EIRs) of 0.206 and 0.066 per 100 specimens for D. immitis and D. repens, respectively. Additionally, 30.56% of randomly selected dogs tested positive for these parasites in 2016. The findings suggest constant transmission throughout the observation period and underscore the need for systematic monitoring to implement effective surveillance and control measures.

Tomazatos, A., Cadar, D., Török, E., Maranda, I., Horváth, C., Keresztes, L., Spinu, M., Jansen, S., Jöst, H., Schmidt-Chanasit, J., Tannich, E., & Lühken, R. (2018). Circulation of Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens in the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, Romania. Parasites & Vectors, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-018-2980-8