Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Heartworm exposure and lung signs in cats in Taiwan
By Lin, Chung-Hui et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2017·1 Graduate Institute of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Dirofilaria immitis exposure status in client-owned cats with or without lower airway/lung-associated signs: case-control study in a canine heartworm-endemic area.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study found that about 13% of cats showing respiratory signs, like coughing or difficulty breathing, tested positive for heartworm exposure, compared to about 8% of cats without these signs. This suggests that while respiratory issues can be linked to heartworm, not all cats with heartworm will show symptoms. Interestingly, cats that go outside are at a higher risk of being exposed to heartworm, but even indoor cats can still be at risk. The researchers recommend that all cats in areas where heartworm is common should receive preventive treatment, regardless of whether they show symptoms.
People also search for: cat coughing heartworm · indoor cat heartworm prevention · why is my cat having breathing problems
Abstract
Objectives Heartworm-associated respiratory disease (HARD) is a recently recognised pathological manifestation in cats caused by Dirofilaria immitis exposure. This study aimed to estimate the percentage of cats at risk of developing HARD in a heartworm-endemic area (Taipei, Taiwan), and to test the correlation of heartworm exposure and the presence of lower airway/lung clinical signs (LA/L signs). Methods This was a prospective case-control study. The study design called for the enrolment of at least 80 cats with LA/L signs and at least 80 cats without such clinical signs in a 1 year period. The D immitis antibody seroprevalence of the two cohorts was compared. Results From February 2014 to January 2015, 187 client-owned cats were prospectively enrolled: 83 clinical cases with LA/L signs and 104 cats without such signs. Antibody seropositivity was approximately twice as frequent in cats with LA/L signs (13.3%) than in cats without signs (7.8%) (odds ratio [OR] 1.814); nevertheless, no statistically significant difference between the two cohorts ( P = 0.22) was found. We used 41 frozen samples from free-roaming cats to examine the possibility of different exposure rates to mosquito bites between client-owned cats and stray cats, finding the seroprevalence to be 7.5% in free-roaming cats - a result not statistically different to that in client-owned cats ( P = 0.60). Outdoor access was a significant risk factor for heartworm exposure in client-owned cats (OR 3.748; P = 0.03); however, living entirely indoors did not provide complete protection from exposure/infection. Conclusions and relevance Our results did not show statistically significant differences in antibody seroprevalence between cats with and without LA/L signs. LA/L signs were not always present under conditions of natural exposure. However, exposure to D immitis is not rare among client-owned cats, suggesting that heartworm prophylactics should be a part of routine care in all cats living in areas endemic for canine heartworm.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26620647/