Products
Lifecosm Canine Heartworm Ag Test Kit for veterinary use
CHW Ag Test Kit
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Canine Heartworm Ag Test Kit |
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| Catalog number | RC-CF21 |
| Summary | Detection of specific antigens of canine heartworms within 10 minutes |
| Principle | One-step immunochromatographic assay |
| Detection Targets | Dirofilaria immitis antigens |
| Sample | Canine Whole Blood, Plasma or Serum |
| Reading time | 5 ~ 10 minutes |
| Sensitivity | 99.0 % vs. PCR |
| Specificity | 100.0 % vs. PCR |
| Limit of Detection | Heartworm Ag 0.1ng/ml |
| Quantity | 1 box (kit) = 10 devices (Individual packing) |
| Contents | Test kit, Buffer bottle, and Disposable droppers |
| Caution | Use within 10 minutes after opening Use appropriate amount of sample (0.04 ml of a dropper) Use after 15~30 minutes at RT if they are stored under cold circumstances Consider the test results as invalid after 10 minutes |
Infection route of canine heartworm
Information
Adult heartworms grow several inches in length and reside in the pulmonary arteries where it can obtain enough nutrients. The heartworms inside the arteries trigger inflammation and form hematoma. The heart, then, should pump more often than before as the heartworms increase in number, blocking the arteries.
When infection deteriorates (over 25 heartworms exist in a 18 kg dog), the heartworms move into the right atrium, blocking the flow of blood.
When the number of heartworms reaches more than 50, they could occupy atriums and ventricles.
When infected with over 100 heartworms in the right part of the heart, the dog loses the function of the heart and eventually dies. This fatal phenomenon is called as “Caval Syndrom.”
Unlike other parasites, the heartworms lay small insects called as microfilaria. Microfilaria in mosquito moves into a dog when the mosquito sucks blood from the dog. The heartworms that can survive in the host for 2 years die if they do not move into another host within that period. The parasites residing in a pregnant dog can infect its embryo.
Early examination of heartworms is very important in eliminating them. Heartworms go through several steps such as L1, L2, L3 including the transmission stage through mosquito to become adult heartworms.
Heartworms in mosquito
Microfilaria in mosquito grows into L2 and L3 parasites able to infect dogs in several weeks. The growth depends on the weather. Favorable temperature for the parasite is over 13.9℃.
When an infected mosquito bites a dog, microfilaria of L3 penetrates into its skin. In the skin, the microfilaria grows into L4 for 1~2 weeks. After residing in the skin for 3 months, L4 develops into L5, which moves into blood.
L5 as the form of adult heartworm enters the heart and pulmonary arteries where 5~7 months later heartworms lay insects.
Diagnosis
The disease history and clinical data of a sick dog, and various diagnostic methods should be considered in diagnosing the dog. For example, X-ray, ultrasound scan, blood examination, detection of microfilaria and, in worst case, autopsy are required.
Serum examination;
Detection of antibodies or antigens in the blood
Antigen examination;
This focuses on detecting the specific antigens of female adult heartworms. The examination is carried out in the hospital and its success rate is high. Test kits available on the market are designed to detect 7~8 month-old adult heartworms so that heartworms younger than 5 months are hard to detect.
Treatment
The infection of heartworms is successfully cured in most cases. To eliminate all heartworms, the use of medicines is the best way. Early detection of the heartworms raises the success rate of the treatment. However, in the late stage of infection, complication can occur, making the treatment more difficult.
