Determinación de la prevalencia de microfilariasis en canis lupus familiaris en la Parroquia La Peaña, Cantón Pasaje.

Abstract

The present titration work focused on determining the prevalence of microfilariasis in dogs from the La Peaña parish, Pasaje canton, Ecuador, using the modified Woo and Knott technique. Microfilariasis is a parasitic disease caused by nematodes such as Dirofilaria immitis. It mainly affects dogs and, being zoonotic, represents a risk to public health. Its transmission occurs through the bite of mosquitoes of the Culicidae family, specifically the genus Culex, Aedes and Anopheles, and can cause serious heart and lung problems.In this study, cephalic vein blood samples were examined from 150 dogs aged 8 months and older, residents of La Peaña, where a prevalence of microfilariasis of 4% was determined, with the modified Knott technique being the most sensitive to the yield the greatest number of positive cases; The Woo technique demonstrated a sensitivity of 75% in relation to the modified Knott technique. In addition, variables such as sex, age and breed of the dogs were evaluated, concluding that they did not present a statistically significant relationship with the presence of microfilariae.The modified Woo and Knott technique were used to observe the presence of circulating microfilariae in the blood of dogs; Given the global distribution of the disease and its ability to be asymptomatic, the modified Knott technique allows differentiation between the different species of microfilariae circulating in the blood according to size and morphology, obtaining a more accurate and timely diagnosis for adequate treatment. It is recommended to carry out new investigations with more sensitive diagnostic methods, such as Elisa and PCR, and to include the modified Knott technique as a routine method in veterinary clinics. As it is a concentration technique, greater sensitivity is obtained compared to the Woo technique. in addition to being economical and easy to do.