Hoch Heather, Strickland Keith
SouthPaws Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Center, Fairfax, Virginia, USA.
Compend Contin Educ Vet. 2008 Mar;30(3):146-51; quiz 151-2.
Several agents are available for the prevention of heartworm infection. Melarsomine is up to 96% efficacious (after two doses) as a heartworm adulticide in infected dogs. However, treatment of dogs infected with D. immitis can be expensive, and adulticide therapy in patients with moderate to severe heartworm disease can be associated with life-threatening complications. Patients with clinical signs associated with pneumonitis benefit from short-term therapy with antiinflammatory doses of corticosteroids before and after adulticide treatment. Strict cage rest for 4 to 6 weeks is mandatory after adulticide administration. Microfilaricide therapy is indicated for microfilaremic patients. The prognosis is good in patients with mild to moderate infection, fair to guarded in severe cases, and poor to grave (even with treatment) in patients with caval syndrome, severe pulmonary thromboembolism, or congestive heart failure.
有几种药物可用于预防心丝虫感染。美拉索明作为感染犬的心丝虫成虫杀灭剂，两剂后效力高达96%。然而，治疗感染犬恶丝虫的犬可能费用高昂，而且中重度心丝虫病患者的成虫杀灭疗法可能伴有危及生命的并发症。有肺炎相关临床症状的患者在成虫杀灭治疗前后接受抗炎剂量皮质类固醇的短期治疗有益。成虫杀灭剂给药后必须严格笼养休息4至6周。微丝蚴血症患者需进行杀微丝蚴治疗。轻度至中度感染患者预后良好，严重病例预后一般至谨慎，患有腔静脉综合征、严重肺血栓栓塞或充血性心力衰竭的患者预后差至严重（即使接受治疗）。
