Prevalence of dirofilariasis in cats in the Kars province, Turkey

Dirofilariasis is a vector-borne disease which is zoonotic. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of dirofilariasis in indoor cats with outdoor access in the centre and districts of the Kars province. Blood samples were collected from a total of 150 cats, including 71 males and 79 females. The localities selected for sampling were the centre of the Kars province (n = 78), and the districts Sarikamis (n = 30), Arpacay (n = 24) and Selim (n = 18). Dirofilariasis seropositivity was 29.5% in the centre of the Kars province, 16.7% in Sarikamis, 8.3% in Arpacay and 5.6% in Selim. The seropositivity rate of the male cats (18.3% - 13/71) was lower than that of the females (22.8% - 18/79). The assessment of seropositivity for the different age groups showed that seropositivity was 22% in cats aged 1-2 years, 21.4% in cats aged 3-4 years, and 18.2% in cats aged 5 years and older. Statistical analyses demonstrated that the differences observed for sex and age were insignificant (P > 0.05). The overall seropositivity rate was found to be 20.7%. This seroprevalence determined for dirofilariasis in cats in the Kars region suggests that prophylactic measures need to be taken against the disease in this area.