Developing Heartworm Diagnostics Towards Improved Understanding of Infection Risk and Disease Preparedness

心丝虫是一种人畜共患的、由蚊子传播的狗感染疾病，由线虫免疫丝虫引起。这种寄生虫导致狗的充血性心力衰竭，以及人类的肺/皮下dirofilaria病。由于可用药物范围有限和诊断不理想，控制丝虫病具有挑战性。该项目将通过将循环RNA/DNA/蛋白质生物标志物图谱与狗的关键感染阶段联系起来，开发工具，直接提高我们的利益相关者（勃林格殷格翰动物保健）在心丝虫药物发现方面的进展，以及改善全球追踪这种人畜共患疾病的努力，从而促进诊断发展。它还将通过收集有关利益相关者对心丝虫感染的知识/经验的调查数据，以及在英国/爱尔兰对有能力的媒介蚊子进行抽样，建立对心丝虫环境驱动因素的基线理解。

Heartworm is a zoonotic, mosquito-borne infection of dogs, caused by the nematode Dirofilaria immitis. This parasite causes congestive heart failure in dogs, and pulmonary/subcutaneous dirofilariasis in humans. Dirofilariasis control is challenging due to a limited spectrum of available drugs, and sub-optimal diagnostics. This project will contribute to diagnostic development by linking circulating RNA/DNA/protein biomarker profiles to key infection stages in dogs, developing tools that will directly enhance our stakeholder's (Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health) progress in heartworm drug discovery, as well as improving global efforts to track this zoonotic disease. It will also build baseline understanding of environmental drivers of heartworm by collecting survey data on stakeholder knowledge/experience of heartworm infection, and sampling for competent vector mosquitos in UK/Ireland.