Prevalence of infection with Dirofilaria immitis in cats in Townsville, Australia

Studies on the prevalence of infection by Dirofilaria immitis in Australian cats are rare. The current study aimed to determine the prevalence of infection with D. immitis in a tropical region of Australia by antigen, antibody and PCR testing. 172 healthy cats over 6 months of age from the Townsville region of Australia were tested for D. immitis specific antibodies and antigen using a commercially available kit. 50 samples were subsequently retested using a second commercially available antibody kit. 48 of these samples were checked for D. immitis DNA using PCR. No cat tested positive on any test. Maximum antigen and antibody prevalence was calculated as 1.27% and 2.10%, respectively.