Presencia de filarias de Dirofilaria immitis (Spirurida: Onchocercidae) en zorra gris (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) en México Dirofilaria immitis (Spirurida: Onchocercidae) filariae in gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) in Mexico

The study of the parasite fauna of Mexican wild canids is relevant because of their potential as sentinel species for ecosystem health. The following study was conducted in a suburban area in Santiago de Queretaro, Mexico. We registered Dirofilaria immitis filariae in a gray fox male Urocyon cinereoargenteus blood sample on November of 2013. Further analysis showed there were not adult heartworms infecting the gray fox indicating that the animal was in the initial stages of infection. There are previous records of D. immitis in coyotes and stray dogs in Queretaro, but this nematode has yet to be registered in this host species. All Rights Reserved © 2015 Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Instituto de Biologia. This is an open access item distributed under the Creative Commons CC License BY-NC-ND 4.0.