Heartworm-associated respiratory disease (HARD) induced by immature adult Dirofilaria immitis in cats

Parasites & Vectors

Table 4 Histopathologic grading (scoring 0–3) and lumen to wall ratio of fixed perfused in cat lung

Site	Group^a	Lesion Score	Significance^b
Bronchus	A	1.40
	B	1.89	0.010
	C	2.40	0.003
Bronchiole	A	1.65
	B	1.89
	C	2.50	0.009
Alveolus/Smooth Muscle	A	1.40
	B	2.11	0.050
	C	2.60	0.001
Arteriole	A	1.75
	B	2.39	0.002
	C	2.70	0.002
Pulmonary Artery	A	1.20
	B	2.22	0.001
	C	2.60	0.001
Bronchiole Lumen to Wall Ratio^c	A	1.416
	B	1.016	0.001
	C	1.080	0.001
Pulmonary Arteriole Lumen to Wall ratio^c	A	0.332
	B	0.528
	C	1.187	0.001

^aTreatment groups: Group A, selamectin topical; Group B, oral ivermectin initiated on Day 70 PI; Group C, infected, no treatment
^bSignificance difference (ANOVA p > 0.05) noted between groups for each variable examined, and pairwise comparison (Holm-Sidak) significance in table notates differences between group B or C compared to group A
^cLumen to wall ratio is morphometric measure of area of lumen compared to area of wall of at least 5 bronchioles and 5 arterioles from each cat. Group B was not significantly different from Group C for any variable

ISSN: 1756-3305