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"Avian filariasis"

Case Report
Molecular and pathological characterization of a Dirofilaria sp. infection in a little egret (Egretta garzetta)
Eunjeong Go, You-Jeong Lee, Da-Ye Nam, Beoul Kim, Hyo-Min Woo, Min-Goo Seo, Dayoung Choi, Jae-Hoon Kim, Jinho Jang, YoungMin Yun, Ji-Youl Jung
Received March 25, 2026  Accepted June 13, 2026  Published online September 15, 2026  
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3347/PHD.26030    [Epub ahead of print]
Dirofilaria spp. are mosquito-borne filarial nematodes that primarily infect mammals. Here, we describe a filarial nematode infection in a female little egret (Egretta garzetta) from Jeju, Korea. Necropsy revealed multiple slender nematodes (4–6 cm) in the subcutaneous tissues of both legs. Histopathological examination demonstrated granulomatous inflammation with intralesional parasites. Morphologically, the nematodes exhibited a thick multilayered cuticle with prominent longitudinal ridges, consistent with members of the genus Dirofilaria. Molecular analysis based on 18S rRNA and mitochondrial c oxidase subunit I (cox1) gene sequences indicated that the parasite was most closely related to D. repens; however, the level of sequence divergence precluded definitive species-level identification. Phylogenetic analysis further demonstrated that the isolates clustered within the Dirofilaria clade and were clearly separated from avian-associated filarioid nematodes. This study provides molecular and histopathological evidence of a Dirofilaria sp. infection in an avian host and supports incidental infection under natural exposure conditions.
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