Aim: The aim of this study was to present and describe cases of D. repens infection in Serbia from 2013 to 2016. The cases were reported in National Reference Laboratory for Parasitic Zoonoses in Belgrade.
Introduction: Dirofilariasis is a vector-borne parasitic zoonosis caused by Dirofilaria genus which uses female mosquitoes as vectors. One of the important species is Dirofilaria repens. Dogs are main reservoir hosts for D. repens, whilst humans can be accidental hosts. The most common site of infection is ocular region. Human dirofilariasis is a rare infection, however, the number of reported cases is increasing in Europe and Serbia.
Methods: Retrospective study was performed including data from National Reference Laboratory for Parasitic Zoonoses in Belgrade. The results were processed and selected parameters were described: sex and age of the patients, locality, location of the lesion, clinical signs and characteristics of parasites. Diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, previous diagnosis were also described.
Results: Seven cases were reported during selected period. The mean age of patients was 44.9 years. Six patients were females (85.7%) and five patients were from Belgrade (71.4%). The most frequent site of infection was ocular region in four patients – 57.5%, while the other sites were skin of abdomen and limbs. All patients had nonspecific clinical signs. The most common cause of the infection was immature female worm in five cases (71.4%).
Conclusion: The number of cases of human D. repens infection is increasing in Serbia, and the most common site of the infection is ocular region. Considering the fact that cases are mainly misdiagnosed, it is important to point out the significance of this infection in differential diagnosis of different diseases.1–4