Auburn University researchers develop noninvasive, painless heartworm detection method for dogs, other pets

Canine heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal disease of the heart and lungs of dogs worldwide, with cases predicted to increase. While most detection tests require blood samples, Auburn University researchers have developed a noninvasive heartworm detection method that is fast, can be paired with existing tests to confirm infection and, perhaps most beneficial, is painless.

The interdisciplinary research team is comprised of Assistant Professor Lindsay Starkey and Professor Byron Blagburn of the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Pathobiology; Melissa Boersma, analytical chemist and director of the Mass Spectrometry Lab in the College of Sciences and Mathematics; and Associate Professor Sarah Zohdy, a vector-borne disease expert in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences.

“This approach to heartworm testing could change the way we diagnose heartworm infections in dogs,” said Blagburn. “It also could prove useful in many situations, including at shelter and rescue organizations.”

This new method allows noninvasive sampling of breath volatiles in less than two minutes. It is followed by gas chromatography to detect key compounds present only in infected animals. Testing can be completed during a typical veterinarian examination.

Alternatively, this test could enable the convenience of at-home/mail-in sampling by pet owners where captured breath volatiles are mailed to a lab for analysis, according to the researchers.

“This noninvasive technology might also potentially assist with heartworm diagnosis in other affected species like humans and/or cats,” Starkey said. “However, we have not yet looked at cats.”

Canine heartworm disease is caused by Dirofilaria immitis, a mosquito-borne pathogen that infects the heart and lungs of dogs, cats and ferrets. Present in both developed and developing nations, this pathogen may infect up to 800,000 dogs in the United States alone. Because it can be fatal, annual testing is recommended.

The primary benefit of this development is that it is painless for the animal, Blagburn said. It is also fast and convenient and does not require a blood sample.

Moreover, if this new method proves to be effective for other species, it could be significantly more efficient than currently used methods, Starkey added.

“The available diagnostic options for cats and other hosts can be either invasive or difficult to interpret,” Starkey said.

Auburn has filed for a patent on the technology and is currently seeking a co-development partner to make it market-ready.