Objectives

To determine the prevalence of feline heartworm infection in cats presented to veterinary hospitals and animal shelters in the Bangkok area.

Materials & Methods

One hundred and fifteen cats were examined and age, sex, breed and recent clinical information were recorded. Cats were clinically categorised as sick or healthy. Sera were collected and blindly and independently tested for D.immitisantigen and anti-D.immitis antibodies using AGEN Vetmail (AGEN Biomedical, Acacia Ridge, Q., Australia).

Results

There were 38 healthy and 77 sick cats. One healthy cat and six sick cats tested positive for D.immitis antigen. One of the six sick cats that tested positive for D.immitis antigen was also positive for anti-D.immitis antibodies. No healthy cats tested positive for anti-D.immitis antibodies.

Conclusion

Based on serological data, there is a low prevalence of feline heartworm infection in the Bangkok area.

Merial, Thailand and AGEN Biomedical, Australia provided funding for this project.