Dirofilaria immitis from Sydney, Australia

For the past 30 years, chemoprophylaxis with macrocyclic lactone (ML) endectocides has been the primary strategy for canine heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) control in both the United States and Australia. ML-resistant D. immitis isolates have been confirmed to exist in the US and studies have shown that 42 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with phenotypic ML-resistance. Five adult D. immitis obtained from a dog (Sydney, Australia) were sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq platform. In this study, the first whole genome reference sequences of D. immitis from Australia have been sequenced using next generation sequencing techniques. This is an essential resource to refine the genetic identity of ML-resistance in comparative studies and will be valuable for future genotyping studies using Australian strains of D. immitis.