Immunization of ferrets against Diroflaria immitis by means of chemically abbreviated infections

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Abstract
Ferrets were exposed to 2 successive inoculations with 30 3rd-stage larvae of the canine heartworm D. immitis, the inoculations being .apprx. 5 mo. apart. Each infection was terminated by ivermectin therapy .apprx. 2 mo. after inoculation. The ferrets were challenged with 30 larvae 3 wk after the termination of the 2nd infection and were necropsied .apprx. 6 mo. after challenge. Of the 4 ferrets that survived this protracted experimentation, 2 were entirely free of heartworm while the other 2 had only a single female worm each. Control ferrets (14) that were not immunized (4 of which were given ivermectin doses) were all infected at necropsy, yielding a mean of 6.6 worms/ferret.