Dog with heart and skin worm infection in South Carolina

Abstract

Canine subcutaneous dirofilariasis is rare and typically caused by. An adult male, intact, mixed breed dog from South Carolina, USA, was examined because of physical trauma to the right maxilla. The dog died during hospitalization and was submitted for necropsy. Gross post-mortem changes included approximately 150 adult nematodes morphologically consistent withspp. in the pulmonary artery, right atrium, and right ventricle. Histologically there was widespread proliferative pulmonary endarteritis with intraluminal nematodes morphologically consistent withspp. Four similar nematodes were present in the subcutaneous tissue of the left medial thigh and tibial area. These nematodes were located within the fascia and skeletal muscles. They were surrounded by epithelioid macrophages and multinucleated giant cells, with some lymphocytes and plasma cells, and areas of mineralization (interpreted as mineralized cross sections of nematodes). Nematodes were morphologically identified as. Subcutaneous dirofilariasis caused byoccurs when migrating nematode larvae develop into adults in the subcutaneous and skeletal muscle tissues. Key clinical message: Subcutaneous dirofilariasis in dogs is rare and most often associated with. This case highlights the pathology findings of subcutaneousin a dog.