Gastrointestinal Nematodes
The nematodes are a class in the animal kingdom with more than 20,000 species described. They have managed to live in a large variety of habitats. Most of these are parasites of plants, animal or humans. In veterinary medicine, parasitic nematodes comprise an important group of endoparasites. Their clinical importance relates to the diseases they may cause in the animal host, as well as the zoonotic potential for pet owners and others. The development of nematodes does not include an intermediate host. The eggs or larvae are consumed by the same species that they came from. The larvae frequently travel through the body, particularly the lungs, while they develop. The final larval stage returns to the intestines, where they metamorphose into adult roundworms and begin egg production. Man (a false host) can also be infected by the eggs and suffer from migrans visceralis syndrome caused by the larvae. The travelling larvae reach all organ systems through the blood stream. They then encapsulate themselves in the connective tissue. Symptoms are different depending on the affected organs, but include hepatomegaly, asthma-like symptoms and central nervous system disorders and lameness. Get more scientific information about gastrointestinal nematodes, such as ascarids, hookworms and whipworms in the following sections: |
Contact for specific questions Veterinary Services
|
|||
Last changed: 19.11.2008 | ||||
