The Danger of Spreading the Nematode Dirofilaria in Yakutia

Abstract

The disease is detected in Central Yakutia and deserves the closest attention from practicing veterinarians. In village dogs infected with and suffered from dirofilariasis, the main pathomorphological changes were localized in the heart and were represented by atrophic, dystrophic and necrobiotic processes. In addition, the products of the nematode metabolism led to the appearance of circulatory disorders. First of all, the researchers paid attention to the study of blood smears, which showed the microfilariae in the smears. The authors also examined guard dogs that died from this disease, and an incomplete examination of organs and tissues when dissecting the heart, lungs and parenchymatous organs, showed sexually mature Dirofilaria in the heart of the dissected animals. Subsequently, methods for diagnosing dirofilariasis were applied using the method of peripheral blood examination, where live microfilariae larvae were found in sick dogs. As the authors of the article note, cardiac dirofilariasis subsequently had a destructive effect on red blood cells, erythrocytes, and was observed in the development of hemoglobinemia, and hemoglobinuria, and in some cases leads to liver and kidney failure. In the respiratory system, there were also typical clinical signs of chronic dry cough, difficult breathing and shortness of breath, and foci of pulmonary rales detected. During the disease, pulmonary thromboembolism was developed in the animals, which characterized by the occurrence of fever and the release of sputum with blood. In the treatment of canine dirofilariasis, the authors observed a fatal outcome in two cases, and made dissections to study the organs and tissues affected by nematodes.