EURASIAN OTTER (LUTRA LUTRA), A DEFINITIVE HOST FOR DIROFILARIA IMMITIS

A mature male and a mature female Dirofilaria immitis were found in the right ventricle of the heart of a naturally infected 2-yr-old male Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) that had died of severe lung congestion at a zoo in South Korea. Both developing embryos and microfilariae were present in the uteru...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of zoo and wildlife medicine 2003-06, Vol.34 (2), p.200-201
Main Authors: Matsuda, Kiku, Baek, Byeong-Kirl, Lim, Chae-Woong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Animals, Zoo - parasitology
BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS
definitive host
Dirofilaria immitis
Dirofilaria immitis - isolation & purification
Dirofilariasis - diagnosis
Embryos
Eurasian otter
Female
Heart ventricles
heartworm
Host-Parasite Interactions
Lutra lutra
Male
Microfilariae
Otters
Otters - parasitology
Veterinary medicine
Worms
Zoos
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Description
Summary:A mature male and a mature female Dirofilaria immitis were found in the right ventricle of the heart of a naturally infected 2-yr-old male Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) that had died of severe lung congestion at a zoo in South Korea. Both developing embryos and microfilariae were present in the uterus of the female D. immitis. Although circulating microfilariae were not detected in blood or tissue, the Eurasian otter may serve as a definitive host for D. immitis.
ISSN:1042-7260
1937-2825
DOI:10.1638/1042-7260(2003)034[0200:EOLLAD]2.0.CO;2