Heartworm

Heartworm Disease in Dogs

The life cycle begins when a female mosquito bites an infected dog and ingests the microfilariae during a blood meal. The microfilariae develop further for 10 30 days in the mosquito's gut and then enter its mouthparts. At this stage, they are infective larvae and can complete their maturation when they enter a dog. The infective larvae enter the dog's body when the mosquito bites the dog. They...

Canine Heartworm Disease

Emerging issues in heartworm disease

C anine and feline heartworm diagnostic methodologies as well as treatment and prevention strategies have changed considerably during the previous decade.We have experienced an unprecedented increase in numbers and kinds of available medications and diagnostic aids, and the capabilities of pet owners to acquire information of both a technical and lay nature. This can be both beneficial and detr...

Heartworm and Wolbachia: therapeutic implications.

A safer, more effective adulticidal treatment and a safe method for reducing microfilaremia and breaking transmission of heartworm disease early in the treatment are needed. The present study evaluated efficacy of ivermectin (IVM) and doxycycline (DOXY) alone or together (with or without melarsomine [MEL]) in dogs with induced adult heartworm infection and assessed the ability of microfilariae ...

Focus on Canine Heartworm Disease

The ingested microfilariae develop into the infective third-stage larvae (L3) after several molts. These L3 migrate to the mosquito head and mouthparts where they are deposited in hemolymph onto mammalian skin during subsequent blood meals. After the deposited L3 enter the host through the mosquito bite wound, they molt to fourth-stage larvae (L4). The L4 then migrate through the tissues toward...