Dirofilaria Immitis (Heart worm) Flashcards
It is a disease caused by Dirofilaria immitis
Heartworm Disease
It damages the heart and lung causing inflammation, scarring, and thickening of lung tissue
Adult heartworm
When the heart is inflamed die to adult worm, it causes _ _ _, forcing the heart to work harder
high blood pressure
The female mosquito takes a blood meal from an infected animal, ingesting ___
Microfilariae (L1 larvae)
The female mosquito takes a blood meal from an infected animal, ingesting microfilariae
Microfilariae ingestion
Inside the mosquito, the ingested worms mature in stage (L1 to L3) within _ to _ if it’s warm (above 27 degrees)
10-14 days
Inside the mosquito, the ingested worms mature in stage (L1 to L3) within _ if it’s cold (18 degrees)
a month
During transmission to host, the infectious L3 larvae moves to the mosquito’s __
mouthparts
During transmission to host, the ___ moves to the mosquito’s mouthparts
infectious L3 larvae
What stage of larva can infect new host?
L3 stage
During maturation inside the host the L3 larva develop into L4 within _ to _ days, the migrate through the body
3 to 12 days
The L4 larvae mature into yound adult around _ to _ days
50-70 days
The L4 larvae mature into young adult around 50 to 70 days and reach the heart and pulmonary arteries about _ to _ days after infection
70-120 days
The L4 larvae reach the _ and _ about 70 to 120 days after infection
heart and pulmonary arteries
The adult heartworm lives in?
heart and pulmonary arteries
How many months does it takes the heartworm to mature and produce offspring (microfilariae)?
6-7 months
Life stages of Dirofilaria immits
- Microfilariae ingestion
- Development in mosquitoe
- transmission to host
- maturation to host
5 adult worm development
How many year can the adult heartworm live?
5-7 yrs
Even if the adult worm dies, the microfilariae can still survive up to _ years in a dog
2 years
Heartworm disease requires _ as a host. No dog to dog transfer
mosquito
The adult worm physically obstruct pulmonary arteries leading to :
- endothelial damage an inflammation
- pulmonary hypertension
reduce blood flow to the lungs
Chronic infection leads to right ventricular hypertrophy and heart failure, heart struggles to pump blood due to obstructed pulmonary arteries
Right-Sided Heart Failure
A large mass of worms can obstruct the tricuspid valve
Caval syndrome
Aberrant migration of the worm to the other parts of the body
Ectopic migration
Symptoms in dog:
- no symptoms early
- cough
- fatigue
- difficulty exercising
severe cases:
- breathing problem
- weight loss
- fluid build up in the abdomen
- heart failure
the symptoms in humans are
asymptomatic
In humans, the worm do not mature into _
adult
Diagnosid for heartworm disease
- Serological test
- Radiographs
3.echoradiohraph - snap test
5.
An ELISA for Dirofilaria immitis is an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay that detects the presence pf this parasite in a blood, serum and plasma sample
Serological Test
D. immitis is usually diagnosed by the finding of the distinctive coin lesions chest x-ray
Radiographs
This method for diagnosis may help assess the degree of heart enlargement, function, and even see if worms are present in the heart and associated blood vessels
Echoradiograph
It is a rapid blood test that detects the D. immitis antigen in dogs and cats. Used to diagnose heartworm disease
Snap Test
D. immitis is found in many __, __, __ regions of the world
tropical, subtropical , and temperate
D. immitis is cosmopolitan in dogs in __ , __, ___, __, and ___
North and South America, Australia, Japan, and Europe
Who are the definitive mammalian hosts for Dirofilaria?
domestic dogs, wild canids ( wolves and foxes), and raccoons
What are the treatments used in heartworms?
- Melarsomine
- Doxycycline
Who is at risk?
- Environmental and Socioeconomic Factors
- Demographic factors
- Occupational exposure
- Pets and pet-owner
Adulticide treatment essential to preventing disease transmission and progression.
Worms are eliminated quickly and the progression of disease stops
Melarsomine
Used to reduce Wolbachia from all life stages of heartworm to avoid large release of the bacteria during the death of the worm
Doxycycline
Prevention for A. lumbricoides
- staying away from areas and food grown in contaminated dirt
- Be careful in travelkung in endemic area
- wash hands before eating your food
- keep the fingernails clean and trimmed
- clean regularly your clothing and bedding
- wash and cook all raw vegetables/ fruit
