Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Heartworm lung disease progression in cats 18 months after infection
By Dillon, A Ray et al.·Published in Parasites & vectors·2017·College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The progression of heartworm associated respiratory disease (HARD) in SPF cats 18 months after Dirofilaria immitis infection.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats was studied for 18 months after being infected with heartworms, which can cause serious breathing problems. Two groups of cats received treatments—one with selamectin and the other with ivermectin—while a third group was left untreated. The treated cats showed improvement over time, with no heartworms found at the end of the study, but some still had lung issues even after their antibody levels returned to normal. This suggests that while treatment can clear the infection, some lung damage may persist long after the heartworms are gone.
People also search for: cat heartworm treatment · symptoms of heartworm in cats · cat respiratory problems after heartworm
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Heartworm-associated respiratory disease (HARD) in cats is induced by the arrival and death of immature adult Dirofilaria immitis in the pulmonary system and is indistinguishable from mature adult heartworm infection. METHODS: A controlled, blind research study investigated the long-term (18 months post infection, PI) consequences of the inflammatory response associated with the death of immature adult heartworms in cats. Three groups of cats, 10 per group, were infected with 100 third-stage (L3) larvae by subcutaneous injection. Group A cats were treated with selamectin (Revolution®; Zoetis) per label directions at 28 days PI and once monthly for 17 months. Group B cats were treated orally with ivermectin (Ivomec®; Merial) at 150 μg/kg) at 70 days PI, then every 2 weeks for 15 months. Group C cats were untreated PI. At baseline (Day 0) and on Days 70, 110, 168, 240, 309, 380, and 505 PI, peripheral blood, serum, bronchial lavage, and thoracic radiographic images were collected. RESULTS: The selamectin-treated cats (Group A) and ivermectin-treated cats (Group B) were free of heartworms or heartworm fragments at necropsy. All cats became heartworm antibody positive at some time point in the study except for one cat in Group A. Only cats in Group C (all with adult heartworms) were heartworm antigen positive. The heartworm antibody titer for Group B was highest on Days 110 to 168 and then decreased over time and 50% were serologically antibody negative on Day 240. Eosinophilic bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cytology and peripheral eosinophilia were most pronounced on Day 110 in all cats. Randomly distributed myofibrocytes in the lungs of some Group A cats suggest that precardiac larval stages were affecting the lungs. Radiographs in Group B cats demonstrated partial resolution of the initial HARD reaction but chronic myofibrocyte proliferation was histologically evident 18 months after infection. CONCLUSION: HARD was induced by immature adult worm infection with progressive improvement starting 6 to 8 months after infection but histologic lesions were evident in some cats 18 months after infection. The serologic antibody assay was negative in 50% of cats at 8 months and 100% of cats at 18 months post infection. Abnormal radiographic lung patterns continued in a subset of Group B cats for months after heartworm antibody serology and BAL cytology returned to normal.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29143683/