Emerging risk of Dirofilaria spp. infection in Northeastern Europe: high prevalence of Dirofilaria repens in sled dog kennels from the Baltic countries

Dirofilariasis is a fast-spreading disease of dogs and humans in Europe. We investigated whether Dirofilaria spp. have spread northwards in Europe, invading the Baltic countries. Altogether, 424 blood samples were collected from eight countries in the period 2017-2019, including 227 samples from sled dogs and 197 samples from other dogs. PCR amplification and sequencing were conducted employing three genetic markers (mitochondrial [mt] 12S rDNA, mt cytochrome c oxidase subunit I [COI] gene and mt dehydrogenase subunit I [NAD1] gene). The SNAP test (IDEXX) for detection of D. immitis infections was also implemented. The DNA of D. repens was detected in 59 of 424 dogs (prevalence 13.9%). D. repens was found in sled dogs from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Belarus. Only one dog from Estonia was infected, apparently an imported case. The highest prevalence was recorded in Lithuania (38%). Among pet dogs from the Ukraine, six dogs tested positive (3.8%). Our study has revealed a high prevalence of D. repens infections in Lithuania and Latvia, but no evidence for spread of the heartworm D. immitis. We conclude that sled dog kennels constitute hot spots for D. repens transmission.