The heartworm Dirofilaria immitis is the causative agent of cardiopulmonary dirofilariosis in dogs and cats, and also infects humans. However, there has been no study on dirofilariasis in dogs in central China. From March 2015 to February 2016, sera from 1176 randomly selected household dogs from Henan province, central China were examined for D. immitis antigen using the Canine Heartworm Antig...

BACKGROUND Solitary lung nodules in humans caused by the dog parasite Dirofilaria immitis are steadily increasing in number. The organisms can be easily missed in haematoxylin and eosin stained tissue when they are degenerated and pale staining. METHODS The value of Tinopal CBS-X (TCBS-X) and Calcofluor white (CFW), two rapid, inexpensive, simple non-specific fluorescent whitening stains, wer...

A 55-year-old Polish male presented with discomfort, redness, itching, and swelling in the left eye that had begun three days before seeking medical help. Slit-lamp examination revealed an actively moving subconjunctival worm located inferotemporally ( Figure 1 ). A complete, live, moving nematode was removed under local anesthesia, and it was first stored in physiological saline for microscopi...

A 22-year-old Caucasian man with a history of metastatic chondroblastic osteosarcoma was wedge resected via open thoracotomy after surveillance follow-up in 2009 revealed suspicious multifocal bipulmonary lesions on a CTscan (figure 1). Five years previously, neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy according to the COSS 96 protocol had been given. Surveillance follow-up in 2009 showed new multifo...

BACKGROUND Mosquitoes are considered as the vectors of dirofilariasis and some vector borne disease in Iran. The objective of this study was to determine the susceptibility level of the vectors to various insecticides recommended by WHO for any control measures in an endemic area in northwestern Iran. METHODS Mosquito larval and adult collections were carried out using different methods provi...

Dirofilariosis, caused by Dirofilaria immitis and D. repens, is spreading in several geographic regions. The development of infective larvae in the mosquito vector (extrinsic incubation) needs an accumulated total of 130 degree-days above the 14 °C threshold, normally expressed as heartworm development units (HDUs). Based on this information, temperature- based models have been developed and ap...

In 2011-2013 1588 samples of dogs' blood were examined for dirofilariosis using Knott method, as well as the Kingston and Morton method. The species of microfilariae was determined on the basis of morphometric characteristics. Samples were also examined using the Canine Heartworm Antigen Test. Positive samples were examined using a multiplex PCR assay for species confirmation. Microfilariae bel...