The effect of prostaglandin inhibition on the development of pulmonary pathology associated with dead Dirofilaria immitis

Abstract

Flunixin meglumine was used to examine the effect of prostaglandin inhibition on the pathogenesis of Dirofilaria immitis in the pulmonary arteries of dogs. Immunopathological reactions to dead filariae were monitored by light and transmission electron microscopy and serology. Lung lesions in prostaglandin-inhibited dogs exposed to dead filariae were enhanced compared to control dogs. This was associated with the persistence of parasitic antigen in lung tissue and in the blood. Serology demonstrated that after insertion of D. immitis in treated dogs, antibody levels did not change, while immune complex and antigen levels increased. These results indicate that prostaglandin may have a protective effect on the way the lung reacts to dead D. immitis, and that altered dynamics of the antigen processing may well contribute to the associated lung lesions.