scholarly journals Co-infection with Angiostrongylus chabaudi and Dirofilaria immitis in a wildcat, Felis silvestris from Romania – a case report

2019 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-306
Author(s):  
Călin Mircea Gherman ◽  
Angela Monica Ionică ◽  
Georgiana Deak ◽  
Gabriel Bogdan Chișamera ◽  
Andrei Daniel Mihalca
Keyword(s):  
Dirofilaria Immitis ◽  
Pulmonary Arteries ◽  
Felis Silvestris ◽  
Accession Number ◽  
Laboratory Examination ◽  
Cardiac Symptoms ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Angiostrongylus Chabaudi ◽  
The Right ◽  
Southern European Countries

Dirofilaria immitis is a worldwide spread nematode affecting the pulmonary artery and the heart of dogs (rarely reported in cats), especially in areas where the dogs show a high prevalence of infection. Angiostrongylus chabaudi is, in turn, a cardiopulmonary nematode of felids identified in several southern European countries and Germany. Co-infections of Dirofilaria immitis and Angiostrongylus spp. are known only in canids. We report a case of D. immitis and A. chabaudi co-infection in a road-killed wildcat originating from Southeastern Romania. Overall, 17 nematodes were collected from the pulmonary arteries of the wildcat and were morphologically identified as A. chabaudi (2 males and 15 females). Another nematode was collected from the right ventricle and identified as adult male D. immitis. Genomic DNA was extracted from one nematode of each of the two species and a fragment of the cox1 gene was amplified and sequenced. The sequences obtained from the nematodes showed 100% similarity to a sequence of A. chabaudi isolated from Romania (Accession number KU521521) and to various D. immitis sequences from Europe, Asia and Australia (e.g. KT716014, EU159111, AJ537512). This is the first report of A. chabaudi and D. immitis co-infection in a felid, revealing the possibility of similar situations in domestic cats. This requires a more in-depth clinical and laboratory examination of animals with respiratory and cardiac symptoms.

scholarly journals Dirofilaria immitis in wolves recolonizing northern Italy: are wolves competent hosts?

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Moroni ◽  
Luca Rossi ◽  
Pier Giuseppe Meneguz ◽  
Riccardo Orusa ◽  
Simona Zoppi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dirofilaria Immitis ◽  
Endemic Area ◽  
Pulmonary Arteries ◽  
Northern Italy ◽  
Fertility Status ◽  
Heartworm Infection ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Right ◽  
Return Process

Abstract Background Wild carnivores such as the grey wolf (Canis lupus), red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and golden jackal (Canis aureus) are recognized hosts of Dirofilaria immitis. However, few studies have focused on their actual role in the epidemiology of heartworm infection. This study describes the prevalence and distribution of D. immitis in wolves in a heartworm-endemic area in northern Italy where wolves have recently returned after long-time eradication, and investigates the fertility status of the collected adult nematodes. Methods In the frame of a long-term wolf monitoring programme in northwestern Italy, 210 wolf carcasses from four provinces were inspected for the presence of filarioid nematodes in the right heart and pulmonary arteries. Female heartworms were measured, and their uterine content analyzed according to a previously described “embryogram” technique. Results Three wolves, all originating from a single province (Alessandria), were positive for D. immitis (1.42%, 95% CI: 0.48–4.11%, in the whole study area; 13.6%, 95% CI: 4.7–33.3%, limited to the single province from which infected wolves originated). Mean intensity was 5 worms (range: 3–7) and the female worms measured 21–28 cm in length. Six out of 9 female worms harbored uterine microfilariae: 5 were classified as gravid; 1 showed a “discontinuous gradient”; and 3 were non-gravid. Conclusions The present data show that heartworm infection is already prevalent in wolves that have recolonized the known heartworm-endemic area. Based on “embryogram” results, wolves were shown suitable heartworm hosts. Interestingly, investigated wolves appeared similarly exposed to heartworm infection as sympatric unprotected dogs (owned dogs that have never received any heartworm prevention treatment) sampled at the beginning of the wolf return process.

scholarly journals Differential diagnosis of Dirofilaria immitis nematodes (Nematoda, Onchocercidae)

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 642-648
Author(s):  
D. Kryvoruchenko ◽  
Y. Prykhodko ◽  
O. Mazannyі ◽  
O. Titarenko ◽  
I. Reva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dirofilaria Immitis ◽  
Pulmonary Arteries ◽  
Morphological Structure ◽  
Nerve Ring ◽  
Parasitic Nematodes ◽  
Body Width ◽  
Morphological Studies ◽  
Heartworm Disease ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
The Right

Heartworm disease is a widespread anthropozoonotic disease of carnivorous animals, as well as humans. It is caused by nematodes belonging to the suborder Filariata, family Onchocercidae, genus Dirofilaria. There are about 26 species of heartworms in nature, the most common and pathogenic species in dogs and cats in most countries is Dirofilaria immitis Leidy, 1856. Mature helminths parasitize in the right ventricle and pulmonary arteries, large veins of animals and cause heart and vascular disorders, and death. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the features of morphological and metric structure of adult nematodes of D. immitis isolated from the heart of dogs. Morphological studies have shown that in males the most characteristic differential features are the presence of two unequal spicules, specifically positioned relative to each other, as well as well-defined preanal and less pronounced adanal and postanal papillae. In female heartworms, the characteristic morphological features are the shape and location of the vulva. There is a difference in the structure of the esophagus in males and females. In females, the anterior and posterior parts of the esophagus are well expressed, with enlargements, in males these divisions are not pronounced. To increase the efficiency of species identification of D. immitis nematodes, it is proposed to use metric parameters that characterize the overall body size, body and width of esophagus in different areas, length of esophagus, and the location of the nerve ring. In males, 11 indicators are also suggested that characterize the size of the spicules and the location of the cloaca. In females, seven additional parameters are pointed out that characterize the location of the vulva, anus and body width in these areas. The obtained data expand the already existing data on the peculiarities of the morphological structure of parasitic nematodes of the species D. immitis and their identification.

scholarly journals Evaluation of protective immunity against experimental Dirofilaria immitis infection in Beagle dogs

1970 ◽  
pp. 93-98
Author(s):  
MH Talukder ◽  
K Ueda ◽  
T Hajime ◽  
S Kanako ◽  
S Kawamura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protective Immunity ◽  
Dirofilaria Immitis ◽  
Pulmonary Arteries ◽  
Challenge Infection ◽  
Freund’S Complete Adjuvant ◽  
Freund's Complete Adjuvant ◽  
Third Stage ◽  
Gamma Irradiated ◽  
The Right ◽  
And Control

Prevention of heartworm is a key goal of pet wellness. An experimental trial was carried out to induce the immunologic protection against Dirofilaria immitis infection in dogs during the period from July 2005 to November 2006.  To evaluate the three protocols of immunization, dogs were separately immunized with gamma-irradiated infective larvae; with chemical abbreviation of infection; with chemical abbreviation plus Freund's complete adjuvant respectively. Each trial consisted of immunized and control groups and each group composed of two dogs. All dogs used for this study were subcutaneously challenged with 100 intact third-stage larvae at designated times after the last immunization following the above three protocols. The dogs were euthanized and necropsized between 120 to 175 days after challenge infection for the worms in the right ventricle of the heart and pulmonary arteries. Number of worms and sexes were determined. A mean of 36 worms from the immunized groups with irradiated L3; 33 worms from the chemically-abbreviated group whereas 13 worms from the chemical abbreviation plus Freund's complete adjuvant group were recovered. The percentages of the average protection in three groups were 45.80%, 55.05% and 77.90% respectively. The adjuvant enhanced the protective immunity against L3 challenge infection. The ELISA values do not explain the intensity of the protection, but shown adequately the immunized dogs responding to the immunization performed in this experiment. Key words: Heartworm, protective immunity, chemical-abbreviation, gamma-irradiated larvae DOI = 10.3329/bjvm.v5i1.1323 Bangl. J. Vet. Med. (2007). 5 (1 & 2): 93-98

scholarly journals The fatal case of an autochthonous heartworm disease in a dog from a non-endemic region of south-eastern Slovakia

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Miterpáková ◽  
H. Zborovská ◽  
B. Bielik ◽  
M. Halán
Keyword(s):  
Dirofilaria Immitis ◽  
Fatal Case ◽  
Pulmonary Arteries ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Endemic Region ◽  
Right Heart ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
The Past ◽  
Heartworm Disease ◽  
The Right

SummaryDuring the past few years, several localities with increasing Dirofilaria immitis occurrences have been identified in Slovakia; particularly in areas regarded as endemic for Dirofilaria repens up until now. In terms of that, dogs with clinically manifested heartworm disease have been referred to the veterinary ambulances more frequently. We report in this study, two autochthonous cases of D. immitisinfections diagnosed in two seven-year-old siblings of Tibetan Mastiff dogs from the Košice region of south-eastern Slovakia. The course of the disease in both dogs were very different. The female dog did not manifest any unusual findings, however the male dog exhibited severe clinical signs of heartworm disease that lead to his death. The subsequent autopsy revealed adult D. immitis worms in the right heart ventricle and pulmonary arteries.

Smooth Muscle Proliferation in Chronically Injured Canine Pulmonary Arteries Is Reduced by a Potent Platelet Aggregation Inhibitor U-53,059

1985 ◽  
Vol 53 (03) ◽  
pp. 351-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert G Schaub ◽  
James C Keith ◽  
Carol A Simmons ◽  
Clarence A Rawlings
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Platelet Aggregation ◽  
Dirofilaria Immitis ◽  
Leukocyte Adhesion ◽  
Pulmonary Arteries ◽  
Cell Loss ◽  
Endothelial Cell Loss ◽  
Dense Granules ◽  
Smooth Muscle Proliferation ◽  
Aggregation Inhibitor

Summary Dirofilaria immitis (DI) infection chronically injures canine pulmonary arteries. This injury produces endothelial cell loss, platelet/leukocyte adhesion, and smooth muscle proliferation. In the present study we assessed the effect of the cyclooxygenase inhibitor, U-53,059, on platelet function, platelet kinetics, coagulation, and smooth muscle proliferation in DI infected dogs.Platelet aggregation to the combination of arachidonic acid/ ADP was significantly inhibited by U-53,059. Coagulation and hematologic parameters were not effected by either DI infection or U-53,059 treatment. Platelet survival and the number of platelet dense granules were reduced in DI infection. Quantification of the lesions demonstrated that U-53,059 reduced both severity and density compared to non-treated dogs. U-53,059 is a potent and effective inhibitor of platelet aggregation which modifies smooth muscle proliferation produced by chronic vascular injury.

PREVALENCE OF CERTAIN VIRAL DISEASES AND DIROFILARIA IMMITIS INFECTION IN STRAY DOGS IN BANGLADESH

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Tarafder
Keyword(s):  
Dirofilaria Immitis ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Zoonotic Diseases ◽  
Viral Diseases ◽  
Small Animals ◽  
Antigen Test ◽  
Stray Dogs ◽  
Negative Results ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Canine Influenza

Background: Stray and pet dogs constitute the dog population in Bangladesh without any established dog statistics. Diseases of dogs are not only associated with morbidity and mortality in dogs but also associated with human health problems as zoonotic diseases. Inland reports on the prevalence of dog diseases are limited in Bangladesh and there is need to investigate diseases in both stray and pet dog populations. Objectives: The main objective is to determine the prevalence of Canine distemper (CD), Canine adenovirus- 1 (CAV-1), CAV-2, Canine influenza (CI) and Dirofilaria immitis (Heart worm infection = HWI) infection in stray dogs in Bangladesh. Materials and Methods: Blood, ocular and nasal samples were collected from each of 30 randomly caught stray dogs (11 male and 19 female) and of different ages, including growing (n = 3) and adult (n = 27) dogs in the district of Mymensingh in Bangladesh from January to June 2010. These samples were tested by using Antigen Test Kits (RapiGEN Inc, Korea). Results: All the 30 stray dogs showed negative results to CD, CAV-1 and CAV-2, whereas an overall high prevalence of CI (4/30; 13.33%) and HWI (15/30; 50.0%) were recorded. The higher prevalence of CI was recorded in growing (n = 2/3; 66.67%) than adult (n = 2/27; 7.41%) but it did not differ significantly (p > 0.05) between male (n = 2/11; 18.18%) and female (n = 2/19; 10.53%) dogs. Significantly (p < 0.05) higher prevalence of D. immitis infection was recorded in adult (n = 15/27; 55.56%) than growing (0/3; 0.0%), male (n = 8/11; 72.73%) than female (n = 7/19; 36.84%) dogs. Conclusions: Further studies on CI and D. immitis are necessary on a large population of stray and pet small animals along with humans to ascertain their importance on health and zoonotic significance in Bangladesh. Key words: Viral diseases, Dirofilariasis, Stray dogs, Antigen test kits

scholarly journals Anatomical correlation between left atrium pulmonary vein ablation targets of atrial fibrillation and adjacent bronchi and pulmonary arteries by MSCT

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan-Jing Wang ◽  
Huan Sun ◽  
Xiao-Fei Fan ◽  
Meng-Chao Zhang ◽  
Ping Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Left Atrium ◽  
Pulmonary Vein ◽  
Pulmonary Arteries ◽  
Contact Points ◽  
Pulmonary Vein Ablation ◽  
Adjacent Structures ◽  
Anatomical Correlation ◽  
The Right

Abstract Background The ablation targets of atrial fibrillation (AF) are adjacent to bronchi and pulmonary arteries (PAs). We used computed tomography (CT) to evaluate the anatomical correlation between left atrium (LA)-pulmonary vein (PV) and adjacent structures. Methods Data were collected from 126 consecutive patients using coronary artery CT angiography. The LA roof was divided into three layers and nine points. The minimal spatial distances from the nine points and four PV orifices to the adjacent bronchi and PAs were measured. The distances from the PV orifices to the nearest contact points of the PVs, bronchi, and PAs were measured. Results The anterior points of the LA roof were farther to the bronchi than the middle or posterior points. The distances from the nine points to the PAs were shorter than those to the bronchi (5.19 ± 3.33 mm vs 8.62 ± 3.07 mm; P < .001). The bilateral superior PV orifices, especially the right superior PV orifices were closer to the PAs than the inferior PV orifices (left superior PV: 7.59 ± 4.14 mm; right superior PV: 4.43 ± 2.51 mm; left inferior PV: 24.74 ± 5.26 mm; right inferior PV: 22.33 ± 4.75 mm) (P < .001). Conclusions The right superior PV orifices were closer to the bronchi and PAs than other PV orifices. The ablation at the mid-posterior LA roof had a higher possibility to damage bronchi. CT is a feasible method to assess the anatomical adjacency in vivo, which might provide guidance for AF ablation.

scholarly journals Ventilation/perfusion mismatch during lung aeration at birth

2014 ◽  
Vol 117 (5) ◽  
pp. 535-543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin A. R. Lang ◽  
James T. Pearson ◽  
Arjan B. te Pas ◽  
Megan J. Wallace ◽  
Melissa L. Siew ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pulmonary Arteries ◽  
Left Lung ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Lung Aeration ◽  
X Ray Imaging ◽  
Iodine Level ◽  
Pulmonary Shunting ◽  
Left And Right ◽  
Near Term ◽  
The Right

At birth, the transition to newborn life is triggered by lung aeration, which stimulates a large increase in pulmonary blood flow (PBF). Current theories predict that the increase in PBF is spatially related to ventilated lung regions as they aerate after birth. Using simultaneous phase-contrast X-ray imaging and angiography we investigated the spatial relationships between lung aeration and the increase in PBF after birth. Six near-term (30-day gestation) rabbits were delivered by caesarean section, intubated and an intravenous catheter inserted, before they were positioned for X-ray imaging. During imaging, iodine was injected before ventilation onset, after ventilation of the right lung only, and after ventilation of both lungs. Unilateral ventilation increased iodine levels entering both left and right pulmonary arteries (PAs) and significantly increased heart rate, iodine ejection per beat, diameters of both left and right PAs, and number of visible vessels in both lungs. Within the 6th intercostal space, the mean gray level (relative measure of iodine level) increased from 68.3 ± 11.6 and 70.3 ± 7.5%·s to 136.3 ± 22.6 and 136.3 ± 23.7%·s in the left and right PAs, respectively. No differences were observed between vessels in the left and right lungs, despite the left lung not initially being ventilated. The increase in PBF at birth is not spatially related to lung aeration allowing a large ventilation/perfusion mismatch, or pulmonary shunting, to occur in the partially aerated lung at birth.

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