Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Verminous pneumonia from Filaroides hirthi in West Highland terrier
By Torgerson, P R et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·1997·Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Parasitology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Filaroides hirthi verminous pneumonia in a West Highland white terrier bred in Ireland.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old West Highland white terrier from Ireland was brought to the vet because it was having trouble breathing and had not been growing well since it was six months old. X-rays showed that both lungs were filled with fluid, and blood tests indicated high levels of certain white blood cells. Sadly, after the dog passed away, a postmortem examination revealed that it had a severe lung infection caused by a type of parasite called Filaroides hirthi. This case is notable as it appears to be the first reported instance of this infection in Ireland.
People also search for: West Highland white terrier breathing problems · dog lung infection symptoms · Filaroides hirthi treatment
Abstract
A two-year-old West Highland white terrier, which had failed to thrive from six months of age, presented with acute onset dyspnoea. Radiography showed a diffuse pulmonary infiltrate throughout both lungs. Haematological abnormalities were an absolute neutrophilia and eosinophilia. Postmortem examination revealed uniform consolidation of both lungs which was defined histologically as a verminous granulomatous pneumonia. Metastrongyle larvae, isolated from the pulmonary tissue, had the morphological characteristics of Filaroides species. On the basis of the pathological changes and the larval morphology, a presumptive diagnosis of F hirthi pneumonia was made. This is believed to be the first report of disease due to this parasite in Ireland.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9179820/