Leema Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 I've heard frequently sprouted that for heartworm microfilae to develop there needs to be so many days above a certain temperature, day and night. It's all around the place. Is there an academic source for this? A research paper? I asked my vet about this, and she was under the impression that temperature didn't mater (besides that the hotter the weather, the more mozzies around). So I'm trying to find where this bit of information originated from. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 haven't heard of this- thought it was just that mozzies are more active in warmer temps .... Will be interested in results, too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miranda Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 I think the temperature must be 17 celsius while the larvae are developing from the L1 to the L3 stage inside the mosquito, if the temperature drops below 17 development stalls and if it drops below 13 development is aborted. The larvae must reach the L3 stage before they can infect a dog and a mosquito only lives for about 35 days so if there are a number of cold days the larvae simply don't have time to reach the L3 stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anniek Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 I had "heard" that it had to be 15 or more deg for 14 days consecutively for heartworm to be a possibility. But no idea where that came from! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelpie-i Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 Interesting...when I worked for AQIS many years ago, we learned that the particular mosquito responsible for heartworm survives in humid conditions only. And yes that the heat/humidity factor had to be constant for some days (cannot remember the number). This is why we rarely see heartworm in places like Victoria and Tasmania. And...if I remember correctly...it was the female mosquito. I don't have any references for this info, sorry, just what I remember during the induction course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 Have crossposted this HERE as well.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leema Posted November 12, 2009 Author Share Posted November 12, 2009 I think the temperature must be 17 celsius while the larvae are developing from the L1 to the L3 stage inside the mosquito, if the temperature drops below 17 development stalls and if it drops below 13 development is aborted. The larvae must reach the L3 stage before they can infect a dog and a mosquito only lives for about 35 days so if there are a number of cold days the larvae simply don't have time to reach the L3 stage. Yes, this is what I've heard. I hope it is true! But I want to know who discovered this in the first place! I can't find any academic sources regarding this, only 'general', 'pet' websites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickojoy Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 Interesting...when I worked for AQIS many years ago, we learned that the particular mosquito responsible for heartworm survives in humid conditions only. And yes that the heat/humidity factor had to be constant for some days (cannot remember the number). This is why we rarely see heartworm in places like Victoria and Tasmania.And...if I remember correctly...it was the female mosquito. I don't have any references for this info, sorry, just what I remember during the induction course. A little bit off topic, but heart worm is more common in the northern states than the southern? I know of a rescue dog that was in Canberra it came up to Sydney a couple of years back with heart worm,... I thought Canberra wasn't humid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leema Posted November 13, 2009 Author Share Posted November 13, 2009 I'm just giving this a bump... Hope someone has a definite source somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 This, from Wikipedia : Dirofilaria Immitis - Wikipedia Heartworms go through several life stages before they become adults infecting the heart of the host animal. The worms require the mosquito as an intermediate stage in order to complete their life cycle. Development in the mosquito is temperature dependent, requiring approximately two weeks of temperature at or above 27 °C (80 °F). Below a threshold temperature of 14 °C (57 °F), development cannot occur, and the cycle will be halted.[8] As a result, transmission is limited to warm months, and duration of the transmission season varies geographically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leema Posted November 14, 2009 Author Share Posted November 14, 2009 For those that are interested, the American Heartworm Society seems like a pretty good source! http://www.heartwormsociety.org/veterinary...guidelines.html Their website is not academic, but I'm going to go with their advice. Thanks for the recommendations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now