Canine subcutaneous dirofilariosis — noteless and neglected (Difficulties in disease monitoring)

In Central Europe, several new endemic regions of subcutaneous dirofilariosis caused by filarial nematode Dirofilaria repens were identified during recent years. Among those countries is also Slovakia, where the infection in dogs was recorded for the first time in 2005. We summarize here the activities intended to increase the veterinarian’s awareness of dirofilariosis and problems connected with establishing cooperation in monitoring of the infection in Slovakia. We also present the results of the questionnaire survey of public (foremost dog breeders and owners) knowledge on dirofilariosis.

Our experience shows that despite the fact that the disease was discovered in Slovakia already 6 years ago, veterinarians still do not attach adequate importance and attention to it. Out of over 540 veterinarians, who have been repeatedly requested to cooperate, only 26 were willing to engage in the monitoring programme. Surprisingly, we noticed much higher interest from the general public and dog owners: 53.1 % of responders indicated that they had already heard about dirofilariosis and 45.2 % of them knew about the risk of transmission to humans. But as many as 78.9 % of animal owners pointed out, that they were not informed by their veterinarian about the possibilities of testing and prevention.

Nevertheless, in spite of multiple negative experiences, it is necessary to continue the monitoring of dirofilariosis given that the real distribution of the parasite in Slovakia is still unknown, which prevents the introduction of effective preventive measures.