• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.36-40
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• 2013

Caval syndrome is a life threatening condition caused by heavy worm burden in right cardiac chambers including right atrium, right ventricle, and vena cava and results in mechanical interference in tricuspid valvular excursion and blood flow to lower pulmonary arteries. A mechanical worm removal is the choice of option for treating this condition in dogs. In this study, we developed a new mechanical worm removal method using modified extraction brushes for treating dogs with caval syndrome. With this newly developed method, we successfully removed heartworms in two dogs with caval syndrome. Although the number of cases applied was small, authors found this method can be a good alternative retrieval method for mechanical worm removal in dogs.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.233-241
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• 2001

Dirofilaria immitis, the causative agent of canine heartworm disease, inhabits mainly in the pulmonary arteries and the heart of dogs and cats, causing circulatory and respiratory disorders. Although diagnosis of the disease is based on the presence of microfilaria in the peripheral blood or of specific antigens released from the adult worms into the peripheral blood, the severity of the infection and the assessment of disease progression are based on the clinical signs and radiographic image analysis. We analysed 12 mixed-bred Jindo dogs naturally infected with Dirofilaria immitis without any clinical signs and compared the radiographic images of the heart and the lung with the number of adult worms at necropsy. The dorsoventral radiographs of 12 infected dogs revealed that the right caudal lobar pulmonary arteries (RCaLPA) were dialated in 66.7% of dogs, whereas the main pulmonary artery segment was enlarged in 50.3% of dogs. The cranial lobar pulmonary arteries (RCrLPA) were dilated or pruned in 33.3% of dogs. All dogs displayed the interstitial lung pattern, while the vertebral heart size (VHS) was of normal range. Although a range of 9 to 166 adult worms (av. 45.6) was found in the pulmonary arteries, in the heart or in the vena cava, no correlation with the radiographic findings and/or with the clinical signs was observed.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.77-81
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• 2007

Diagnostic performance of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detecting Dirofilaria immitis in dogs was evaluated when no gold standard test was employed. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test kit (SnapTM, IDEXX, USA) with unknown parameters was also employed. The sensitivity and specificity of the PCR from two-population model were estimated by using both maximum likelihood using expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm and Bayesian method, assuming conditional independence between the two tests. A total of 266 samples, 133 samples in each trial, were randomly retrieved from the heartworm database records during the year 2002-2004 in a university animal hospital. These data originated from the test results of military dogs which were brought for routine medical check-up or testing for heartworm infection. When combined 2 trials, sensitivity and specificity of the PCR was 96.4-96.7% and 97.6-98.8% in EM and 94.4-94.8% and 97.1-98% in Bayesian. There were no statistical differences between estimates. This finding indicates that the PCR assay could be useful screening tool for detecting heartworm antigen in dogs. This study was provided further evidences that Bayesian approach is an alternative approach to draw better inference about the performance of a new diagnostic test in case when either gold test is not available.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Veterinary Clinics Conference
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.51-51
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• 2006

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.80-89
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• 1990

The present study was conducted in order to get the relationship of heartworm, Dirofilaria immitis and eosinophils in blood of Jindo dogs. Blood samples were taken from 141( man 31, womam 110) of yellow, 44 ( man 17, woman27) of white Jindo dogs in Jindo area. The results obtained in this study were summarized as follows : 1. There were no significant differences of the hematological values in comparison with others reported values, but the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration and the number of eosinophils were high in comparison with other reported values. 2. The mean values of total white blood cell count(P<0.05), neutrophil(P<0.05) and monocyte(P< 0.05) were that the yellow dogs and a tendency toward fisher values than the white dogs, but no significant differences were observed. 3. Age-related differences were detected for the total erythrocyte count(P<0.05), hemoglobin content (P<0.001), PCV(P<0.001) and the number of eosinophils(P<0.001). 4. The direct and indirect eosinophil counts were increased with age, there were no significant differences of the values between two groups. 5. Dirofilaria immitis was found in 34(18.4%), increased with age and were relatively significant differences in areas of the 185 Jindo dogs. 6. Survey for hematological values of Dirofilaria immitis infected dogs with direct and indirect method, mean values of eosinophil were 2,788/ ${\mu}l,$ 3,021/ ${\mu}$l, respectively. They showed that eosinophil had a tendency toward higher values than others, but others were no significant differences.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.79-83
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• 2001

Dirofilaria immitis parasitizes mainly in the pulmonary arteries and in the heart of dogs and cats. The parasite is also of public health importance, because it often elicits nodules in the pulmonary parenchyma and in the subcutaneous tissues, or sometimes parasitize itself in the eyes of human. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of heartworm infection among 165 dogs on three breeding farms in the vicinity of Seoul, Korea. Of 165 dogs, 83 dogs (50.3%) were infected with the parasite, as revealed by an antigen-detecting test using the peripheral blood. Of these, 23 dogs (20.2%) contained microfilaria using the peripheral blood, which are potential source of transmission to uninfected animals and to humans in the endemic area. None of infected dogs showed any clinical signs associated with the disease. Since the three farms were located in the vicinity of Seoul, the unexpectedly high infection rate could imply that the possibility of exposure of both animals and humans living in the metropolitan Seoul area to the parasite is higher than in the other area of Korea.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.309-313
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• 2005

This study was performed to assess the efficacy of surgical treatment with flexible alligator forceps (FAF) on heartworm infected dogs. Twenty dogs (10 males and 10 females) with heartworm infection, age $5.3\pm3.0\;(mean{\pm}S.D.)$ years and weight $9.3\pm6.5(mean{\pm}S.D.)kg$ were treated with FAF. Adult heartworms were removed by fluoroguided technique with FAF under inhalation anesthesia with isoflurane. For evaluation of the efficacy, removal rate and surgical time were measured, and removal sites were found. Antigen ELISA kit test and autopsy were performed to examine remained adult heartworms. Removal rate of total heartworms was $91.4\%$ including 15 complete retrieval cases and surgical time was $30.0\pm7.6(mean{\pm}S.E.)$ minutes. Heartworms were removed from the right ventricle, main pulmonary artery, and right and left pulmonary artery. Surgical treatment with FAF is an effective method with high removal rate, short surgical time, and various removal sites and it could be considered for the removal of adult heartworms in a dog.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.208-213
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• 2007

A 15 kg 6-year-old intact male Jindo dog with a history of a respiratory distress, hindlimb paralysis with necrosed skin of dorsal digit for three weeks was referred to Animal Medical Center, Chonbuk National University. Heartworm infection was identified by kit examination. In plain thoracic radiographs, dilated pulmonary arteries reverse D sign and focal interstitial pattern was compatible with heartworm infection and possible pulmonary thromboembolism. Abdominal radiographs showed poor serosal detail indicating fluid accumulation within peritoneal cavity. No evidence of musculoskeletal abnormalities was found. Ultrasonography presented focal wedge-shaped hyperechogenecity on the both poles of left kidney, weak or absent pulse on the distal to the external iliac artery as well as ascites and irregular liver margin. Multi-organ failure was strongly supposed by blood profile including leukocytosis, anemia, hemoglobinuria bililubinemia, hypoalbuminemia, imbalance of electrolytes, and increased hepatic and renal function values. Interestingly, the glucose level is remarkably lower in pelvic limb compared to thoracic limb. Suspected pulmonary thromboembolism, renal infarction and femoral arterial embolization causing hindlimb paralysis and dermatic necrosis were confirmed by 3D reconstructed CT imaging. Prior to taking a consideration of euthanasia, interventional radiology was experimentally attempted but failed due to not recovered from general anesthesia. Early and accurate diagnosis of thromboembolism is valuable and 3D reconstructed CT images might be very useful to show the correct way to treat effectively.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.235-238
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• 1999

Two Jindo dogs which show clinical signs of anorexia, weakness and exercise intolerance, were referred, and diagnosed as dirofilariasis by hematology, blood chemistry and ultrasonography. In hematology and blood chemistry, the presence of microfilariae in the blood, anemia, leukocytosis, hemoglobinuria and jaundice were revealed. In ultrasonography, heartworms were found in the right ventricle artery and pulmonary artery as structures of hyperechoic dots or streaks. In autopsy, forty odd and fifty odd of heartworms at dog 1 and dog 2, were ascertained respectively in the right ventricle and pulmonary artery.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Veterinary Clinics Conference
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• 2008.10a
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• pp.147-147
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• 2008