Lungworm

Lungworm

Lungworms are parasitic nematode worms of the order Strongylida that infest the lungs of vertebrates. The name is used for a variety of different groups of nematodes, some of which also have other common names; what they have in common is that they migrate to their hosts' lungs or respiratory tracts, and cause bronchitis or pneumonia. The category is thus more a descriptive than a precisely taxonomic one. The commonest lungworms belong to one of two groups, the superfamily Trichostrongyloidea or the superfamily Metastrongyloidea, but not all the species in these superfamilies are lungworms.

The lungworms in the superfamily Trichostrongyloidea include several species in the genus "Dictyocaulus" which infest hoofed animals, including most common domestic species. Different species are found in cattle and deer ("D. viviparus"), donkeys and horses ("D. arnfeldi"), and sheep and goats ("D. filaria"). These animals have direct life-cycles. The lungworms in the superfamily Metastrongyloidea include species that infest a wider range of mammals, including sheep, goats and pigs but also cats and dogs. These include "Metastrongylus apri", found in pigs; "Oslerus osleri" found in dogs; and "Aelurostrongylus abstrusus" found in cats. Some of these have indirect, and complex, life-cycles; several of them involve slugs or snails as intermediate hosts, and in the case of "A. abstrusus" the cat is normally infected by eating a bird or rodent that has itself eaten the original host [cite web | title = Lungworm Infection: Introduction | work = The Merck Veterinary Manual | date = 2006 | url = http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/120700.htm | accessdate = 2008-01-09 ] .

Lungworm infestations can cause significant distress to the animal but are usually treatable with drugs. Oxibendazole is commonly used as a prophylactic against these and other nematode infestations.

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  • Lungworm — Lung worm , n. (Zo[ o]l.) Any one of several species of parasitic nematoid worms which infest the lungs and air passages of cattle, sheep, and other animals, often proving fatal. The lungworm of cattle ({Strongylus micrurus}) and that of sheep… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • lungworm — /lung werrm /, n. 1. any nematode worm of the superfamily Metastrongylidae, parasitic in the lungs of various mammals. 2. a nematode worm of the genus Rhabdias, parasitic in the lungs of reptiles and amphibians. [1880 85; LUNG + WORM] * * * ▪… …   Universalium

  • lungworm — lung·worm .wərm n any of various nematodes esp. of the family Metastrongylidae that infest the lungs and air passages of mammals: as a) a nematode of the genus Dictyocaulus b) a lungworm of the genus Metastrongylus (M. apri syn. M. elongatus)… …   Medical dictionary

  • lungworm — ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun : any of various nematodes that infest the lungs and air passages of mammals: as a. : a member of the genus Dictyocaulus b. : the swine lungworm (Metastrongylus elongatus) that causes bronchitis and serves as an intermediate host… …   Useful english dictionary

  • lungworm disease — n HOOSE …   Medical dictionary

  • lungworm — noun Date: 1882 any of various nematodes that infest the lungs and air passages of mammals …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • lungworm — noun Any of several nematode worms, of the family Metastrongylidae, that are parasitic to mammalian lungs …   Wiktionary

  • lungworm — n. parasitic worm which infests the lungs of certain animals …   English contemporary dictionary

  • lungworm — noun a parasitic nematode worm found in the lungs of mammals. [Dictyocaulus and other genera.] …   English new terms dictionary

  • lungworm — lung•worm [[t]ˈlʌŋˌwɜrm[/t]] n. ivt any of various parasitic nematodes that invade the lungs • Etymology: 1880–85 …   From formal English to slang

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