Dirofilaria repens – an emerging pet travel risk?*

Dirofilaria repens – an emerging pet travel risk?

 Dirofilaria repens, while not as pathogenic as Dirofilaria immitis, is capable of causing chronic skin and ocular disease in dogs as well as being a signifi can't vector borne zoonosis. D. repens is not endemic in the UK but its spread across Europe and increased pet travel is putting more UK dogs at risk of infection. This is a concern, both in terms of chronic pathogenicity in dogs that have travelled abroad, and the risk of D. repens becoming established as an endemic zoonotic infection in the UK. This article focuses on the epidemiology, clinical signs, treatment and prevention of dirofi lariosis caused by D. repens in both dogs and people.