Introduction

    Dirofilariasis is derived from the Latin words diro and filum, meaning "evil thread."  In humans, it is the result of accidental zoonotic infection, with the distribution of infection in humans roughly paralleling the distribution of infection in animal hosts.  Dogs, cats, foxes, and other mammals are the natural hosts of Dirofilaria species, mosquitoes are the vector-intermediate hosts, and humans are the dead-end hosts.  Given that man is a dead-end host, worms rarely reach maturity in humans, and microfilaremia is not seen.  Dirofilariasis infection in dogs and cats can produce a potentially fatal heart condition called heartworm.  In humans, however, dirofilariasis infection is generally benign and asymptomatic.

Agents
Synonyms
History of Discovery
Clinical Presentation in Humans
Transmission and Life Cycle
Reservoir
Vector
Incubation Period
Morphology
Diagnostic Tests
Management and Therapy
Epidemiology
Public Health and Prevention Strategies
 
 

• http://www.comvet.com/html/heartworm.html
• http://author.emedicine.com/ped/topic599.htm
• http://www.cdfound.to.it/html/dir1.htm
• http://math.smith.edu/~sawlab/fgn/pnb/filbio.html
• http://www.buckeyeweb.com/akeiper/ThePets/Woof-Woof/Heartworm.htm
• http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual/section13/chapter161/161e.htm
• http://cal.nbc.upenn.edu/merial/hrtworm/hw_top.htm
• http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/dpdx/HTML/Filariasis.htm
• http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~parasite/dirofilaria.html

  References

• Bielawski, Bret C., et al. "A Solitary Pulmonary Nodule With Zoonotic Implications" Chest vol 119, pp. 1250-1252, 2001.
• Fuentes, Isabel, et al.  "Human Subcutaneous Dirofilariasis Caused By Dirofilaria Repens in Ibiza, Spain"  American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene vol 51(4), pp. 401-404, 1994.
• Garcia, Lynne Shore.  Diagnostic Medical Parasitology.  4th Edition.  Washington, D.C.: ASM Press, 2001.
• Gutierrez, Yezid.  Diagnostic Pathology of Parasitic Infections with Clinical Correlations.  2nd Edition.  New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
• Hira, P.R., et al.  "Dirofilariasis in Kuwait: First Report of Human Infection Due to Dirofilariasis Repens in the Arabian Gulf" American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene vol 51(5), pp. 590-592, 1994.
• Markell, Edward K., David T. John, and Wojciech A. Krotoski,  Markell and Voge's Medical Parasitology.  8th Edition.  Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company, 1999.
• Muro, A., et al. "Human Dirofilariasis in the European Union" Parasitology Today vol 15(9), pp. 496-499, 1999.
• Pampiglione, Silvio, et al. "Pitfalls and Difficulties in Histological Diagnosis of Human Dirofilariasis Due to Dirofilaria (Nochtiella) repens" Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease vol 34, pp. 57-64, 1999.
• Shah, Mrugeshkumar K. "Human Pulmonary Dirofilariasis: Review of the Literature" Southern Medical Journal vol 92(3), pp. 276-279, March, 1999.
• Skidmore, Peter J., et al.  "Human Extrapulmonary Dirofilariasis in Texas" Southern Medical Journal vol 93(10), pp. 1009-1010, 2000.
• Vakalis, Nicholas, et al. "Improved detection of Dirofilaria repens DNA by direct polymerase chain reaction" Parasitology International vol 48, pp. 145-150, 1999.
• Villanueva, Esther J. and Jose Rodriguez-Perez "Immunodiagnosis of Human Dirofilariasis in Puerto Rico" American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene vol 48(4), pp. 536-541, 1993.

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Last modified on May 24, 2001