Heartworm adulticide treatment: a tropical perspective.

Abstract

Dirofilaria immitis (the canine heartworm) is widespread in the tropics, with prevalence surpassing 30% in high-risk areas. In addition to the suitable climatic conditions that favour mosquito abundance and filarial larva development, there is low compliance with the recommended year-round use of preventives in these transmission hotspots. This represents a major concern, considering that melarsomine (first-line heartworm adulticide) is unavailable in several tropical countries, resulting in the so-called slow-kill protocol being the only available adulticide treatment option. In this article, the members of TroCCAP (Tropical Council for Companion Animal Parasites) review the current distribution of heartworm in the tropics and the availability of melarsomine, and discuss alternatives for the management of heartworm infections in dogs.

• Authors: Filipe Dantas-Torres, Jennifer Ketzis, Gabriela Pérez Tort, Andrei Daniel Mihalca, Gad Baneth, Domenico Otranto, Malaika Watanabe, Bui Khanh Linh, Tawin Inpankaew, Pablo Borrás, Sangaran Arumugam, Barend Louis Penzhorn, Adrian Patalinghug Ybañez, Peter Irwin, Rebecca J Traub
• Journal: Parasites & vectors (Parasit Vectors) Vol. 16 Issue 1 Pg. 148 (Apr 28 2023) ISSN: 1756-3305 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 37106364 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)
• Copyright: © 2023. The Author(s).

Chemical References

• melarsomine
• Filaricides

Topics

• Animals
• Dogs
• Dirofilaria immitis
• Dirofilariasis (drug therapy, epidemiology, prevention & control)
• Filaricides (therapeutic use)
• Dog Diseases (drug therapy, parasitology)