Diurnal variation in microfilaremia in cats experimentally infected with larvae of Dirofilaria immitis

Creators Hayasaki M.

Creators Okajima J.

Creators Song K. H.

Creators Shiramizu K.

In five healthy mongrel female cats used, four cats (Cats 1-4) were experimentally inoculated with 100-123 larvae (L_3) of Dirofilaria immitis. Cat 5 was an uninfected control. Only Cat 1 became microfilaremic on Day 201 after inoculation and the diurnal changes in the microfilaria population were monitored every 2 h for 24 h on Day 237 when a sufficient number of microfilaria were detected in the circulation. The maximum number of microfilaria in the blood (1350/ml) occurred at 9:00 p.m. and then gradually decreased to the minimum of 300/ml at 7:00 a.m., indicating that the number of microfilaria shows a nocturnal sub-periodic pattern of diurnal rhythm even in peripheral blood of cats as an abnormal host. On postmortem examination, 10 live adult worms (three males and seven females) in Cat 1 and one live adult worm (one male) in Cat 2 were detected.

[ISSN]0304-4017

[NCID]AA00883655

info:doi/10.1016/S0304-4017(02)00356-4

[isVersionOf] [URI]http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03044017

[isVersionOf] Dirofilaria immitis infection and dirofilariosis : an animal model of human filariosis [URI]http://www.lib.yamaguchi-u.ac.jp/yunoca/handle/2010010511