Dirofilaria immitis is a mosquito-borne pathogen spreading worldwide, and the associated infection is becoming a threat to animals and humans living in endemic areas. Although definitive hosts are primarily domestic and wild canids, Dirofilaria immitis shows low vertebrate host specificity, infecting several mammalian species (e.g. black bears, cats, ferrets, lions, otters, ocelots). In humans, this parasite may cause a severe clinical condition of increasing concern, with adult stages located mostly in the patient's lungs, eyes or other anatomical districts.