VPA 211: General Veterinary Parasitology and Helminthology (3+1)

DIPETALONEMA RECONDITUM

• Dipetalonema reconditum is a parasite rarely causes significant disease.
• Its importance lies in the fact that its microfilariae can be easily confused with those of Dirofilaria immitis.
• D. reconditum lives in the body cavity and subcutaneous (just below the skin) tissues of dogs.

Life cycle

• The life cycle of D. reconditum includes an intermediate host such as flea, tick, or louse instead of the mosquito.

Morphology

• The adult worms which are ½ to 1-inch long may be found on necropsy or as an incidental finding during surgery for some other reason.
• The microfilaria can be found in the bloodstream. Based on their size and shape, your veterinarian should be able to distinguish them from heartworm microfilariae under the microscope.
• The presence of a D. reconditum infection should not affect the common serologic test used to diagnose heartworm. 

Pathogenesis and control

• Usually no treatment of a D. reconditum infestation is required, however, a single treatment of ivermectin (0.11 mg/lb) will eliminate the microfilaria.
• It is unknown if any antihelmintics will kill the adult worms. Since it is not considered a pathogen, few efforts have been made toward its prevention or control. Controlling the flea, tick, and lice populations would be beneficial.