Metastrongylosis

Metastrongylosis
SpecialtyInfectious diseases, helminthologist Edit this on Wikidata

Metastrongylosis is a parasitic disease that affects wild boars and pigs which live outdoors.[1] It is caused by various species of roundworms of the genus Metastrongylus.[2] A handful of cases of metastrongylosis have been reported in humans.[3]

Metastrongylus species have a life cycle which involves earthworms as an intermediate host.[4] Pigs root for earthworms in soil, and ingest the Metastrongylus larvae which are infesting the earthworms.[2] The larvae migrate to the lungs, and cause the pig to cough and have difficulty breathing.[4]

  1. ^ García-González, Ángela María; Pérez-Martín, Juan Enrique; Gamito-Santos, José Antonio; Calero-Bernal, Rafael; Alonso, María Alcaide; Carrión, Eva María Frontera (January 2013). "Epidemiologic study of lung parasites (Metastrongylus spp.) in wild boar (Sus scrofa) in southwestern Spain". Journal of Wildlife Diseases. 49 (1): 157–162. doi:10.7589/2011-07-217. PMID 23307382. S2CID 38998791.
  2. ^ a b "Lungworm infection (Metastrongylosis)". Iowa State University. Retrieved 2018-11-25.
  3. ^ Caballero, Henry; Calvopina, Manuel; Korenaga, Masataka; Morita, Tatsushi (5 October 2016). "Human pulmonary infection by the zoonotic Metastrongylus salmi nematode The first reported case in the Americas". The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 95 (4): 871–873. doi:10.4269/ajtmh.16-0247. PMC 5062791. PMID 27382078.
  4. ^ a b Jackson, Peter G. G.; Cockcroft, Peter D. (2007). "Metastrongylosis". Handbook of Pig Medicine. Saunders/Elsevier. p. 82. ISBN 9780702028281.