Lungworm
Encyclopedia
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 lungworm will gradually damage the airways or lung tissue by inciting an inflammatory reaction inside the tissue. Ultimately, the parasites survives and reproduce in the respiratory tissues. The category is thus more a descriptive than a precisely taxonomic one. The most common 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), donkey
s and horse
s (D. arnfeldi), and sheep and goat
s (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 pig
s but also cat
s and dog
s. 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 slug
s or snail
s as intermediate hosts, where the habit of sniffing at slug trails, or even licking them, causes the parasite egg to enter the dog's respiratory tract. In the case of A. abstrusus the cat is normally infected by eating a bird or rodent that has itself eaten the original host.
e. The infected larvae then penetrate the intestinal wall where larvae migrate into the lungs through the bloodstream. The infected larvae reside in the lungs until the development into adult larvae. The eggs of the adult larvae hatch thus producing lungworm. These eggs that reside in the lungs are coughed up and then ingested back into the stomach and then into feces.
is commonly used as a prophylactic against these and other nematode infestations.
If infected with lungworm parasite, an anti-parasite drug must be administered.
In the case of a severe reaction, an anti-inflammatory drug of corticosteroids may be given for a brief period (3 to 10 days).
To treat tissue inflammation, Prednisone
is usually given (5–10 days). However, there are some side effects such as increased urination or appetite.
The drug fenbendazole
is usually administer to kill the parasite. It is very safe and does not harm the animal.
There are several different Lungworm parasites that have been identified. Although they all originate from the lungworm parasite, they are treated somewhat differently and requires a combination of various drugs to treat the parasite:
Aelurostrongylus abstrusus Treatment
Take Fenbendazole (Panacur) for 10 days and Ivermectin for 3 days to 5 days.
Paragonimus kellicotti Treatment
Take Fenbendazole (Panacur) for 10 days, Praziquantel
(Droncit) every 8 hours for 2 days, Albendazole every 12 hours for 10 to 20 days, and then Ivermectin two treatments, 2 weeks apart
Capillaria aerophilia Treatment
Take Fenbendazole (Panacur) for 10 days , Albendazole
for 10 to 20 days, and Ivermectin one or two doses
It is very important to administer all veterinary prescribed medication and contact your veterinarian
of any problems.
Repeat chest X-rays in 2 and 4 weeks after treatment. Also, recheck a fecal sample to monitor for the presence of larvae or ova in 2 to 4 weeks. This will confirm if the parasite is still living inside the respiratory tissue.
General
Nematode
The nematodes or roundworms are the most diverse phylum of pseudocoelomates, and one of the most diverse of all animals. Nematode species are very difficult to distinguish; over 28,000 have been described, of which over 16,000 are parasitic. It has been estimated that the total number of nematode...
worms of the order Strongylida
Strongylida
The Suborder Strongylida includes many of the important nematodes found in the gastrointestinal tracts of ruminants, horses, and swine, as well as the lungworms of ruminants and, the hookworms of dogs and cats.This Suborder includes The Suborder Strongylida includes many of the important nematodes...
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
Bronchitis
Acute bronchitis is an inflammation of the large bronchi in the lungs that is usually caused by viruses or bacteria and may last several days or weeks. Characteristic symptoms include cough, sputum production, and shortness of breath and wheezing related to the obstruction of the inflamed airways...
or pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. The lungworm will gradually damage the airways or lung tissue by inciting an inflammatory reaction inside the tissue. Ultimately, the parasites survives and reproduce in the respiratory tissues. The category is thus more a descriptive than a precisely taxonomic one. The most common 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
Dictyocaulus
Dictyocaulus is a genus of nematode parasites of the bronchial tree of horses, sheep, goats, deer, and cattle. Dictyocaulus arnfeldii is the lungworm of horses, and Dictyocaulus viviparus is the lungworm affecting ruminants....
which infest hoofed animals, including most common domestic species. Different species are found in cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
and deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
(D. viviparus), donkey
Donkey
The donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
s and horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s (D. arnfeldi), and sheep and goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s (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 pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
s but also cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s and dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
s. 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 slug
Slug
Slug is a common name that is normally applied to any gastropod mollusc that lacks a shell, has a very reduced shell, or has a small internal shell...
s or snail
Snail
Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
s as intermediate hosts, where the habit of sniffing at slug trails, or even licking them, causes the parasite egg to enter the dog's respiratory tract. In the case of A. abstrusus the cat is normally infected by eating a bird or rodent that has itself eaten the original host.
Lifecycle
The general life cycle of a lungworm begins with an ingestion of infected larvaLarva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e. The infected larvae then penetrate the intestinal wall where larvae migrate into the lungs through the bloodstream. The infected larvae reside in the lungs until the development into adult larvae. The eggs of the adult larvae hatch thus producing lungworm. These eggs that reside in the lungs are coughed up and then ingested back into the stomach and then into feces.
Symptoms
The most common symptom is coughing and other typical symptoms are wheezing and weight loss. These symptoms are caused by larvae that reside in the lungs where immunity develops and the accumulation of mucus cause blockage of the airway into the lungs.Diagnosis
If an animal is suspected of lungworm infection, there are many ways to detect this parasitic infection such as performing one or more of the following techniques: a complete medical history including lung auscultation (stethoscope examination), doing a chest xray, examination of fecal examination for detection of ova or larvae, examination of respiratory secretions for ova or larvae, and/or a complete blood count (CBC) to check for signs of increase in eosinophilsTreatment
Lungworm infestations can cause significant distress to the animal but are usually treatable with drugs. OxibendazoleOxibendazole
Oxibendazole is a benzimidazole drug that is used to protect against roundworms, strongyles, threadworms, pinworms and lungworm infestations in horses and some domestic pets. It is usually white to yellowish in appearance, and may take the form of a powder or a tablet.Oxibendazole can be...
is commonly used as a prophylactic against these and other nematode infestations.
If infected with lungworm parasite, an anti-parasite drug must be administered.
In the case of a severe reaction, an anti-inflammatory drug of corticosteroids may be given for a brief period (3 to 10 days).
To treat tissue inflammation, Prednisone
Prednisone
Prednisone is a synthetic corticosteroid drug that is particularly effective as an immunosuppressant drug. It is used to treat certain inflammatory diseases and some types of cancer, but has significant adverse effects...
is usually given (5–10 days). However, there are some side effects such as increased urination or appetite.
The drug fenbendazole
Fenbendazole
Fenbendazole is a broad spectrum benzimidazole anthelmintic used against gastrointestinal parasites including roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, the taenia species of tapeworms, pinworms, aelurostrongylus, paragonimiasis, strongyles and strongyloides and can be administered to sheep, cattle,...
is usually administer to kill the parasite. It is very safe and does not harm the animal.
There are several different Lungworm parasites that have been identified. Although they all originate from the lungworm parasite, they are treated somewhat differently and requires a combination of various drugs to treat the parasite:
Aelurostrongylus abstrusus Treatment
Take Fenbendazole (Panacur) for 10 days and Ivermectin for 3 days to 5 days.
Paragonimus kellicotti Treatment
Take Fenbendazole (Panacur) for 10 days, Praziquantel
Praziquantel
Praziquantel is an anthelmintic effective against flatworms. Praziquantel is not licensed for use in humans in the UK; it is, however, available as a veterinary anthelmintic, and is available for use in humans on a named-patient basis....
(Droncit) every 8 hours for 2 days, Albendazole every 12 hours for 10 to 20 days, and then Ivermectin two treatments, 2 weeks apart
Capillaria aerophilia Treatment
Take Fenbendazole (Panacur) for 10 days , Albendazole
Albendazole
Albendazole, marketed as Albenza, Eskazole, Zentel and Andazol, is a member of the benzimidazole compounds used as a drug indicated for the treatment of a variety of worm infestations. Although this use is widespread in the United States, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved...
for 10 to 20 days, and Ivermectin one or two doses
Prevention
An effective way to minimize the risk of spreading this disesase is to control the roaming and hunting of cats allowed outdoors.It is very important to administer all veterinary prescribed medication and contact your veterinarian
Veterinarian
A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
of any problems.
Repeat chest X-rays in 2 and 4 weeks after treatment. Also, recheck a fecal sample to monitor for the presence of larvae or ova in 2 to 4 weeks. This will confirm if the parasite is still living inside the respiratory tissue.
External links
SpecificGeneral
- Lungworms in Cats Retrieved on 5/4/09
External links
- Curiosity killed the dog?, Retrieved on 17 April 2011