Evaluation of Dirofilaria immitis antigen detection comparing heated and unheated serum in dogs with experimental heartworm infections

Table 2 Difference in the number of days from infection to confirmed positive test result between the two serum types (unheated versus heated) within each antigen test

Antigen Test	Difference in # Days from Infection to Positive Result^a Unheated – Heated							p-value
	N	Mean (days)	SD^b	Min	Max	95% CI^c
	N	Mean (days)	SD^b	Min	Max	L ^d	U ^d
DiroCHEK®	12	35.7	32.2	0	90	15.2	56.2	0.0028*
PetChek®	12	31.3	25.5	0	70	15.0	47.5	0.0014*

*Statistically significant at P < 0.05
^aBig Head™ and JYD-34 isolate data were combined for each analysis
^b SD standard deviation
^c95% CI = 95% Confidence Interval around the mean difference
^d L lower bound of 95% confidence interval, U upper bound of 95% confidence interval

ISSN: 1756-3305