Microfilaria are:

Microfilaria are:

• A. None of these.
• B. The segment of the tapeworm containing the male and female reproductive organs.
• C. The larval stage of the heartworm.
• D. Microscopic single celled organisms.

Answer: (C)

Microfilariae are the larval forms produced by filarial nematodes, including heartworms. They circulate in the host’s bloodstream and are taken up by feeding mosquitoes, where they develop into infective larvae. They are multicellular organisms, not single-celled, and they are not segments of a tapeworm. In the heartworm life cycle, the microfilaria represents the larval stage that passes between the adult worm in the dog and the mosquito vector, making this description the accurate one.

Microfilariae are the larval forms produced by filarial nematodes, including heartworms. They circulate in the host’s bloodstream and are taken up by feeding mosquitoes, where they develop into infective larvae. They are multicellular organisms, not single-celled, and they are not segments of a tapeworm. In the heartworm life cycle, the microfilaria represents the larval stage that passes between the adult worm in the dog and the mosquito vector, making this description the accurate one.