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Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association 39:533-537 (2003)
© 2003 American Animal Hospital Association

Original Article

Prevalence and Risk Factors for Heartworm Infection in Cats From Northern Florida

Julie K. Levy, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVIM, Patti S. Snyder, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVIM, Larissa M. Taveres, BA, Jennifer L. Hooks, BS, Mike J. Pegelow, BS, Margaret R. Slater, DVM, PhD, Kathy L. Hughes, DVM, MS and Marc E. Salute, BS

From the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences (Levy, Snyder, Taveres, Hooks, Pegelow, Salute), College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610 and the Department of Veterinary Anatomy and Public Health (Slater, Hughes), College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843.

Address all correspondence to Dr. Levy.

Necropsies were performed on 630 adult cats in northern Florida to determine the prevalence and risk factors for heartworm infection in cats of this region. Heartworms were identified in 4.9% of cats, and serological evidence of heartworm exposure was present in 17% of cats. Not all cats from which heartworms were recovered were seropositive for heartworm antigen or antibody. There was no association between heartworm infection and co-infection with feline leukemia virus (FeLV) or feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Male cats were at higher risk of infection with heartworm, FeLV, or FIV than were females. Because even a single heartworm can cause clinical disease or death in cats, the authors conclude that cats in this region should receive heartworm prophylaxis to prevent heartworm infection.




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P. Berdoulay, J. K. Levy, P. S. Snyder, M. J. Pegelow, J. L. Hooks, L. M. Tavares, N. M. Gibson, and M. E. Salute
Comparison of Serological Tests for the Detection of Natural Heartworm Infection in Cats
J. Am. Anim. Hosp. Assoc., September 1, 2004; 40(5): 376 - 384.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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