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 6 to 7 months, in which time they become sexually mature male and female worms. this is the prepatent period. The worms then reside in the heart, lungs, and associated blood vessels. The worms begin to mate and release microfilaria into the blood stream. When a mosquito bites an infected dog it takes in some of the microfilaria in the blood. After 10 to 30 days there is larvae in the mosquito's salivary gland which can then be passed on to the next dog the mosquito bites.
Canine......
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