No evidence of Dirofilaria repens infection in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) from Brandenburg, Germany.

Parasitol Res. 2016 Feb;115(2):867-71. doi: 10.1007/s00436-015-4820-5. Epub 2015 Nov 14.
Härtwig V¹, Schulze C², Pfeffer M³, Daugschies A⁴, Dyachenko V⁵.Author information

• ¹Institute of Parasitology, Veterinary Faculty, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 35, 04103, Leipzig, Germany. Haertwig@vetmed.uni-leipzig.de.

• ²Berlin-Brandenburg State Laboratory, Frankfurt (Oder), Germany.

• ³Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, Veterinary Faculty, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.

• ⁴Institute of Parasitology, Veterinary Faculty, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 35, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.

• ⁵Veterinary Laboratory Freiburg, Freiburg i. Br, Germany.

Abstract
KEYWORDS:

Dirofilaria (D.) repens is a nematode causing dirofilariasis in dogs, cats and in humans. Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) are well-known wildlife reservoirs for zoonotic diseases. These two species are highly abundant in Germany, frequently exposed to vector mosquitoes and potentially susceptible to Dirofilaria infections. To obtain data about D. repens infections in these animals, red fox and raccoon dog carcasses (hunted or found dead) were collected from January to September 2009 in the Federal State of Brandenburg, Germany. Lung tissue samples were subjected to DNA extraction and examined for the presence of Dirofilaria DNA by means of D. repens-specific PCR. D. repens-specific DNA could not be amplified from the lungs of red foxes (n = 122; 0 %) nor from the lungs of raccoon dogs (n = 13; 0 %), suggesting a limited role if a role at all in the natural transmission cycle of D. repens in Brandenburg.

Dirofilaria repens; Lung tissue; Nyctereutes procyonoides; PCR; Raccoon dogs; Red foxes; Vulpes vulpes