Dirofilaria repens infection in a dog in Israel

Only one case of canine infection with Dirofilaria repens has been reported in Israel to date; this occurred in 1934. This publication, 65 years later, represents the second case of D. repens infection in a dog in Israel. This dog was infected locally since it was born in Israel and was never taken abroad, suggesting that the life cycle of the filaria was completed in Israel. Since dogs, cats, and foxes serve as a reservoir for the filaria and these are abundant in Israel, and mosquitoes of the genera Culex and Aedes (both of which occur in Israel and the Middle East) are vectors, the conditions for establishment of the filaria in Israel exist, and warrant regional epidemiologic investigation.