Türkiye Parazitoloji Dergisi, 32 (3): 225 - 228, 2008 Türkiye Parazitol Derg. © Türkiye Parazitoloji Derneği © Turkish Society for Parasitology The Prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis in Dogs in Kırıkkale Kader YILDIZ 1 , Sibel YASA DURU 2 , Buğrahan B. YAĞCI 2 , Naci ÖCAL 2 , Aycan N. GAZYAĞCI 1 Kırıkkale University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, 1 Department of Parasitology, 2 Department of Internal Medicine, Kırıkkale, Türkiye SUMMARY: Heartworm infection is one of the most important parasitic diseases in dogs. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of heartworm in dogs in Kırıkkale. Blood samples of 172 dogs were collected. Microfilariae were detected in 10 (5.8%). dogs with the Knott technique. The anal and excretory pores stained with acid phosphates showed that the microfilariae belonged to Dirofilaria immitis. Microfilariae were found in dogs aged between 2-10 years, and especially in Siberian huskies, setters, pointers and crossbred sheep- dogs. The serum samples of 142 dogs were analyzed using the commercial ELISA test kit for detection of anti- D. immitis antibody. The occult infection rate was found to be 27.46% in dogs. According to these results, Kırıkkale region has a high risk for heartworm infection. Key Words: Dirofilaria immitis, dog, prevalence, seropositivity, Kırıkkale Kırıkkale’de Köpeklerde Dirofilaria immitis’nin Yayılışı ÖZET: Kalp kurdu enfeksiyonu köpeklerin önemli paraziter hastalıkları arasında yer almaktadır. Bu çalışmada Kırıkkale’de köpeklerde bu enfeksiyonun yaygınlığını belirlemek amaçlanmıştır. Yöre köpeklerinden toplam 172 kan örneği toplanmıştır. Modifiye Knott tekniği kullanılarak 10 köpekte (%5,8) mikrofiler tespit edilmiştir. Mikrofiler saptanan kan örnekleri asit fosfataz boya ile boyanmıştır. Boşaltım ve anal delikleri boyanan bu mikrofilerlerin Dirofilaria immitis’e ait olduğu belirlenmiştir. Mikrofilerler 2-10 yaş arası köpeklerde ve özellikle Siberian husky, setter, pointer ve melez köpek ırklarında saptanmıştır. 142 köpek serumu ticari ELISA kiti kullanılarak anti- Dirofilaria immitis antikorları yönünden incelenmiştir. Yöre köpeklerinde occult enfeksiyon oranı %27,46 olarak saptanmıştır. Bu sonuçlarına göre Kırıkkale, kalp kurdu enfeksiyonu yönünden yüksek risk taşımaktadır. Anahtar Sözcükler: Dirofilaria immitis, köpek, yayılış, seropozitivite, Kırıkkale INTRODUCTION Dirofilaria immitis are found in the dog, fox, wolf, dingo and cat as definitive hosts (7). Adult parasites localized primarily in Arteria pulmonalis of definitive hosts and also this nema- tode may be found in right ventricle, right atrium and some- times in the vena cava (5, 7). Female parasite is ovovivipa- rous. Microfilariae are circulated in blood of definitive hosts. They are taken up by intermediate hosts which are mosquito species (7). Microfilariae develop into infective L3 stages approximately 2 weeks in mosquito host (7, 11). The prepatent period of heartworm infection is approximately 6-7 month (5). Adult worms causes endocarditis, defeat of heart valves, en- darteritis, circulation defeat and hypertension in definitive hosts. Hypertrophy of heart, liver congestion, cirrhosis and ascites are commonly symptoms of heartworm infection in dogs (7, 11, 17). Heartworm infection is recognized in dogs in the worldwide (8, 11). Especially, it is spread from regions of subtropical climate to temperate areas. Turkey is suitable country for de- velopment of this parasite due to climatic conditions and abundant intermediate hosts. Heartworm infections were re- ported different region of Turkey in previous studies (3, 4, 14- 16, 18-22). The first heartworm infection in Kırıkkale region was detected in Kırıkkale University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Clinic at December, 2004. Thereafter, we aimed to determine the prevalence of heartworm infection in dogs in Kırıkkale region. MATERIAL AND METHODS Area of survey: Kırıkkale (615 km 2 ) is located Central Anato- lia. The largest river of Turkey, Kızılırmak, flow inside this province. Kırıkkale possess both suitable climatic conditions and mosquitoes for development of this parasite. Makale türü/Article type: Araştırma / Original Research Geliş tarihi/Submission date: 05 Aralık/05 December 2007 Düzeltme tarihi/Revision date: 19 Mart/19 March 2008 Kabul tarihi/Accepted date: 17 Nisan/17 April 2008 Yazışma /Correspoding Author: Kader Yıldız Tel: (+90) (318) 357 33 01 Fax: (+90) (318) 357 33 04 E-mail: kaderyildiz@hotmail.com 15. Ulusal Parazitoloji Kongresi’nde (18-23 Kasım 2007, Kayseri and Ürgüp) sunulmuştur.