Rapid spread and emergence of heartworm resulting from climate and climate-driven ecological changes in Hungary.
| Title: | Rapid spread and emergence of heartworm resulting from climate and climate-driven ecological changes in Hungary. |
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| Authors: | Széll Z; National Reference Laboratory for Parasites, Fish and Bee Diseases, Directorate of Food Chain Safety Laboratories, National Food Chain Safety Office, 1095, Budapest, Mester utca 81, Hungary.; Bacsadi Á; Central and Regional Laboratories of Pathology, Directorate of Veterinary Diagnostics, National Food Chain Safety Office, 1143, Budapest, Tábornok utca 2, Hungary.; Szeredi L; Central and Regional Laboratories of Pathology, Directorate of Veterinary Diagnostics, National Food Chain Safety Office, 1143, Budapest, Tábornok utca 2, Hungary.; Nemes C; Central and Regional Laboratories of Pathology, Directorate of Veterinary Diagnostics, National Food Chain Safety Office, 1143, Budapest, Tábornok utca 2, Hungary.; Fézer B; Central and Regional Laboratories of Pathology, Directorate of Veterinary Diagnostics, National Food Chain Safety Office, 1143, Budapest, Tábornok utca 2, Hungary.; Bakcsa E; Central and Regional Laboratories of Pathology, Directorate of Veterinary Diagnostics, National Food Chain Safety Office, 1143, Budapest, Tábornok utca 2, Hungary.; Kalla H; Central and Regional Laboratories of Pathology, Directorate of Veterinary Diagnostics, National Food Chain Safety Office, 1143, Budapest, Tábornok utca 2, Hungary.; Tolnai Z; National Reference Laboratory for Parasites, Fish and Bee Diseases, Directorate of Food Chain Safety Laboratories, National Food Chain Safety Office, 1095, Budapest, Mester utca 81, Hungary.; Sréter T; National Reference Laboratory for Parasites, Fish and Bee Diseases, Directorate of Food Chain Safety Laboratories, National Food Chain Safety Office, 1095, Budapest, Mester utca 81, Hungary. Electronic address: sretert@nebih.gov.hu. |
| Source: | Veterinary parasitology [Vet Parasitol] 2020 Apr; Vol. 280, pp. 109067. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Feb 28. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 7602745 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-2550 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 03044017 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Vet Parasitol Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: Amsterdam : Elsevier; Original Publication: Amsterdam : Elsevier Scientific Pub. Co. |
| MeSH Terms: | Dirofilaria immitis/*physiology ; Dirofilariasis/*epidemiology ; Dog Diseases/*epidemiology; Dirofilariasis/parasitology ; Dog Diseases/parasitology ; Hungary/epidemiology ; Animal Distribution ; Animals ; Dogs ; Retrospective Studies |
| Abstract: | In Europe, Dirofilaria immitis persists mainly in the southern countries with a Mediterranean climate. Because spreading of heartworms from these countries towards the northern ones could be observed in the past decades, necropsy records of 4076 Hungarian dogs were reviewed for heartworm infections. The first autochthonous canine D. immitis case was detected on the Great Hungarian Plain in 2007. Until 2011, the number of heartworm infection cases was low, and these cases were restricted to a small part of the Great Hungarian Plain. Since 2012, the number of cases has increased considerably, and the rapid expansion of the parasite's geographic range could also be observed. Our retrospective study has revealed that most of the Hungarian territory became a heartworm endemic region, and the prevalence of infection greatly multiplied over the past 12 years. The establishment, rapid spread, and emergence of D. immitis may be mainly explained by the warming climate in Hungary. However, the partly climate-driven spread of the most important reservoir host in wildlife, the golden jackal (Canis aureus) from the Mediterranean Balkan Peninsula might have also played a significant role. This study is an example of the rapid spread and emergence of pathogens resulting from climate and climate-driven ecological changes. Because a continuous increase in the temperature and further dispersal of golden jackals in Europe are projected, further spread and emergence of heartworm can be expected. Similar spread and emergence of D. immitis could be observed in North America. It cannot be excluded that similar reasons (global warming and rapid dispersal and population growth of the most important wild canine reservoir host) are in the background on both continents.; (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Climate change; Dirofilaria immitis; Dog; Emergence; Global warming; Golden jackal; Heartworm; Hungary; Spread |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20200308 Date Completed: 20201103 Latest Revision: 20201103 |
| Update Code: | 20260130 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.vetpar.2020.109067 |
| PMID: | 32145530 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
Journal Article