Heartworm Caused by Mosquitoes
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Heartworm Caused by Mosquitoes
Heartworm disease is caused by a parasite called Dirofilaria
immitis, which lives in the right side of the heart and the
adjacent blood vessels. Its presence in these blood vessels
causes cardiovascular weakness, compromised lung incapacity, and
eventual death. Heartworm disease occurs primarily in dogs but
can occur in cats and other animals on rare occasions.
Heartworm is transmitted from dog to dog (and cat to cat) by
mosquitoes. Over 70 species of mosquitoes have already been
implicated. Transmission of the parasite occurs as follows: when
a mosquito draws blood from a dog or cat infected with heartworm,
it takes with it a number of small immature worms called
microfilariae. Once inside the mosquito, the microfilariae
develop into larvae. Later, when the mosquito bites a new victim,
the larvae are injected and that dog or cat becomes infected.
It takes about six and a half to seven months for the larvae
to mature and start producing thousands of new microfilariae
inside the circulatory system. The adult worms end up occupying
the right chamber of the heart and the pulmonary arteries, while
the microscopic microfilariae circulate throughout the
bloodstream.
All these worms within the blood vessels produce an increased
workload on the heart, along with restricted blood flow to the
lungs, kidneys, and liver, eventually causing multiple organ
failure. At first, pets may exhibit a chronic cough and reduced
exercise tolerance, followed by sudden collapse and death.
Once infected, one pet can easily become a "carrier"
or reservoir of infection for an entire neighbourhood. Sometimes,
a dog or cat may have heartworm disease but show no symptoms. By
the time symptoms do occur, the disease is well advanced.
Prevention is preferred to treatment. While there are
effective treatments available, most veterinarians prefer to
promote prevention of heartworm disease. Oral and topical
medications that are administered monthly and have shown to be
highly effective in preventing heartworm disease are available
from your veterinarian.
Reprinted with permission from www.animalhealthcare.ca
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