Canine Heartworm Disease Canine Heartworm Disease is a serious and potentially fatal disease caused by the parasite Dirofilaria Immitis. The disease can infect over 30 species, including humans, however dogs are the definitive host. The most common way this disease is transmitted from one animal to the next is through mosquitoes. A mosquito carrying infective heartworm larvae bites a dog and transmits the infection to them. The larvae grow, develop, and migrate in the body over a period of
I. Heartworm Disease is a very serious disease that affects and kills thousands of dogs each year. II. I would like to share some important information about this disease especially if you are an owner or plain to become an owner of a dog. III. I am the owner of a beautiful mix breed named Cocoa; she was diagnosed with Heartworm disease about 4 years ago. As you can imagine I was devastated to receive this news, especially since I had her on prevention which is a medication to prevent heartworms
Today heartworm infections have been reported in all states except Alaska and the number of incidents are increasing at an alarming rate (5). Risk Factors Several types of mosquitos have been identified as the vector and intermediate host of dirofilaria immitis, including Culex pipiens, Aedes albopictus, Anopheles maculipenis, and Coquilletidia richiardii, allowing the parasite to mature to an infective stage within the mosquito to then infect new hosts via their bite (6). Climate change and urbanization
Parasites and their Virulence Why do some parasites kill the host they depend upon while others coexist with their host? Two prime factors determine parasitic virulence: the manner in which the parasite is transmitted, and the evolutionary history of the parasite and its host. Parasites which have colonized a new host species tend to be more virulent than parasites which have coevolved with their hosts. Parasites which are transmitted horizontally tend to be more virulent than those transmitted