Article
Microbiology
Remy Betous, Anthony Emile, Hua Che, Eva J. Guchen, Didier Concordet, Thavy Long, Sandra Noack, Paul M. Selzer, Roger Prichard, Anne Lespine
Summary: Nematode parasites enter their definitive host as infectious larvae and DAF-12 plays a role in their development to adulthood. The filarial nematodes' DAF-12 exhibit higher sensitivity to ligands and can be specifically activated by mammalian sera. These findings suggest that filarial nematodes have evolved to sense and adapt to their host environment to resume larval development.
Article
Parasitology
Jeff M. Gruntmeir, Jeff R. Abbott, Peter E. Kima, Maureen T. Long, Byron L. Blagburn, Heather S. Walden
Summary: Heat treatment was found to increase the sensitivity of commercial heartworm antigen tests, particularly in cases of single sex or low infection intensities. The heat also caused denaturation of antibodies, affecting antigen detection.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2023)
Review
Parasitology
Timothy G. Geary
Summary: Despite the perception that heartworm is a solved problem in veterinary medicine, increasing frequency and geographic distribution of heartworm infections, along with resistance to preventative therapies, pose ongoing challenges. The lack of basic information on heartworms limits research into new prevention and treatment methods. Recent advances in technical platforms and laboratory animal models offer opportunities for discovering new drugs, diagnostic biomarkers, and parasite-derived molecules, as well as insights into the host-parasite relationship.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2023)
Article
Parasitology
Karen Ann Ward, Linda Susan Jacobson, Aveline Baldasan Lacaden, Kelly Ann Harrison
Summary: This retrospective study evaluated modified three-dose melarsomine treatment protocols in a shelter setting and compared them to the American Heartworm Society (AHS)-recommended protocol. The results showed that using the new protocols can increase the lifesaving capacity and improve the quality of life for shelter dogs by reducing the duration of exercise restriction and length of stay.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2023)
Article
Parasitology
Andrew R. Moorhead, Christopher C. Evans, Kaori Sakamoto, Michael T. Dzimianski, Abdelmoneim Mansour, Utami DiCosty, Crystal Fricks, Scott McCall, Ben Carson, C. Thomas Nelson, John W. McCall
Summary: According to the study, using doxycycline prior to adulticide administration can effectively reduce the levels of Wolbachia and its associated metabolites, which are a leading cause of pulmonary pathology. The current guidelines recommend a 30-day wait period after using doxycycline, but this wait period may not be necessary. Therefore, reducing the wait period and doxycycline dosage may bring practical benefits to animals, pet owners, and veterinarians.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2023)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Jose Alberto Montoya-Alonso, Sara Nieves Garcia Rodriguez, Elena Carreton, Ivan Rodriguez Escolar, Noelia Costa-Rodriguez, Jorge Isidoro Matos, Rodrigo Morchon
Summary: This study analyzed the exposure to feline heartworm in Spain and found that the disease is widely distributed throughout the country. The study emphasized the link between infected dogs and exposed cats, and called for effective awareness and prophylaxis measures to control the spread of feline heartworm in Spain.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Kennedy Mwacalimba, Deborah Amodie, Lisa Swisher, Marina Moldavchuk, Christopher Brennan, Claire Walther, Kelly Bowman
Summary: The study found that injectable moxidectin had a higher 12-month preventive purchase compliance rate compared to monthly heartworm disease preventives, generating more revenue for veterinary hospitals.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Parasitology
Molly D. Savadelis, Tom L. McTier, Kristina Kryda, Steven J. Maeder, Debra J. Woods
Summary: Heartworm disease remains a significant and pathogenic disease in dogs, despite the regular use of preventive products. Some strains of D. immitis have developed resistance to the only available drug class, macrocyclic lactones (MLs), for heartworm prevention in the United States. The optimization of dose and formulation of moxidectin provides a unique opportunity to improve efficacy against ML-resistant strains. Two new products, ProHeart (R) 12 and Simparica Trio (R), have demonstrated 100% preventive efficacy against recent field strains of heartworm, offering important advances in heartworm prevention for veterinarians and pet owners.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2022)
Article
Parasitology
Rachel Smith, Daniel Felipe Barrantes Murillo, Kelly Chenoweth, Subarna Barua, Patrick John Kelly, Lindsay Starkey, Byron Blagburn, Theresa Wood, Chengming Wang
Summary: This study is the first nationwide molecular survey of Dirofilaria spp. in dogs and cats in the USA. The results revealed a higher prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis in dogs in the USA, with a lower prevalence in cats. The Southern states had a significantly higher prevalence compared to other regions, and Dirofilaria repens was not detected in the USA.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2022)
Article
Parasitology
Viviane Noll Louzada-Flores, Laura Kramer, Emanuele Brianti, Ettore Napoli, Jairo Alfonso Mendoza-Roldan, Marcos Antonio Bezerra-Santos, Maria Stefania Latrofa, Domenico Otranto
Summary: This study evaluated the efficacy of doxycycline treatment in eliminating Wolbachia from circulating blood. The results suggest that successful elimination of microfilariae by doxycycline is associated with complete clearance of Wolbachia DNA in naturally infected dogs.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Jorge Isidoro Matos, Sara Nieves Garcia-Rodriguez, Noelia Costa-Rodriguez, Alicia Caro-Vadillo, Elena Carreton, Jose Alberto Montoya-Alonso
Summary: This study assessed the diagnostic value of echocardiography tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) in determining the presence of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in dogs with heartworm disease. The TDI measurements showed significant differences between dogs with and without PH, and cut-off values with excellent sensitivity and specificity were found. The TDI mode may be a useful adjunct diagnostic method for PH in dogs with Dirofilaria immitis.
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Biplab K. Saha, Alyssa Bonnier, Woon Hean Chong, Hau Chieng, Adam Austin, Kurt Hu, Boris Shkolnik
Summary: Human pulmonary dirofilariasis is a rare disease caused by Dirofilaria immitis, the same parasite responsible for canine heartworm. The incidence of this disease is increasing worldwide due to greater awareness and factors affecting the mosquito vector. Most patients have no symptoms and are diagnosed with pulmonary nodules, while some may experience acute symptoms of pneumonia. Currently, there are no specific clinical tests, and diagnosis is usually made through surgical resection and histopathologic identification of the worm.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF THE MEDICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Rossella Panarese, Roberta Iatta, Frederic Beugnet, Domenico Otranto
Summary: This study evaluated the incidence of Dirofilaria immitis and Leishmania infantum infections in two dog shelters in southern Italy. The results showed that one of the dog shelters had higher infection rates, potentially posing a threat to animal and human health.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Kennedy Mwacalimba, Andrea Wright, Konstantinos Giannakakis, Richard L'Estrange, Tinh-Son Nguyen
Summary: In the 5 years from 2010 to 2015, 73% of dog owners who visited a veterinary practice at least twice made less than two purchases of HW preventatives from the veterinary practice. For those with at least two preventative purchases, 76.7% of dogs receiving IM and 24.4% of dogs prescribed with MHW products purchased enough doses to provide continuous protection over the observation period.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Jeff M. Gruntmeir, Nina M. Thompson, Maureen T. Long, Byron L. Blagburn, Heather D. S. Walden
Summary: Heat treatment improves sensitivity of heartworm tests and is unlikely to cause false positive results in dogs infected with Acanthocheilonema reconditum, intestinal helminths, and protozoal parasites.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2021)