geospatial risk assessment of dirofilaria immitis in mountainous areas of gilan province using geographic information system (gis)

The study aimed to investigate the correlation between elevation and various environmental factors influencing dirofilaria immitis (d. immitis) infection rate in stray dogs within the mountainous areas of gilan province, iran. this study was conducted from 2022 to 2023 and analyzed 392 stray dogs across 12 cities, categorizing them based on elevation and examining variables such as temperature, precipitation, and humidity. the diagnosis of d. immitis was performed using pcr methods, and data were processed with arcgis 10.8 software. the results revealed an overall infection rate of 44.28% ± 2.73, with fuman-masuleh reporting the highest at 60%, and lahijan recorded the lowest at 25.5%. linear regression analysis indicated a moderately positive correlation between d. immitis cases and elevation (β coefficient of 0.543). maximum temperature showed a strong positive correlation with d. immitis cases (β coefficient of 0.907). spatial analysis using moran’s i index indicated no significant spatial autocorrelation between positive cases and elevation, suggesting that temperature and other environmental factors are critical in the distribution of d. immitis. the inverse distance weighting (idw) interpolation highlighted areas at higher risk for d. immitis infection, particularly along gilan province’s eastern and western borders. in conclusion, this study highlights the significant infection rate of d. immitis infection in stray dogs, even in the mountainous regions of gilan province. it is crucial to recognize gilan as a high-risk area for this infection. therefore, implementing effective control and prevention programs is essential.