title: Analysis of body-length distribution of Dirofilaria immitis in the cardio-pulmonary blood vessel of naturally infected dogs in Shiga Prefecture, Japan.
abstract: Body-length frequencies of Dirofilaria immitis collected from the cardio-pulmonary blood vessel of the dogs were studied in Shiga Prefecture. Japan, in October 1983 and in January and May 1984. The frequencies were not distributed normally because they included the populations of shorter-bodied worms, probably the growing younger worms, whereas the distributions of the body length of worms collected in July 1983 were proved to fit the single normal distribution. From the results of body-length distribution analysis, the worms collected in different seasons were each composed of 1 to 3 groups with different mean body-lengths, standard deviations and composition rates and successive changes were observed in the distribution patterns. According to the analysis of population structures, the infective season was estimated to range from April or May to October or November in 1983 from the respective ages of shorter-bodied worm groups. The annual rates of first infection and re-infection in 1983 determined by the population of shorter-bodied females collected in January were 48% and 93% respectively and the number of newly infecting females per dog ranged from 1 to 27 with a geometric mean of 8.5. The numbers of newly infecting female worms were distributed following the negative binomial and Poisson distributions in newly infected and already infected dogs respectively.
authors.affiliation: Hokkaido Veterinary Center, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tada
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000469:parasitology*; D004183:Dirofilaria immitis / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D004184:Dirofilariasis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008168:Lung / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D012621:Seasons