Todayโs path rounds are on ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ!
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐ฌ are a type of roundworm that are found in the lungs and ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ก๐๐ (windpipe) of many species. Today weโre going to talk about one species of lungworm that affects canids called ๐๐ฌ๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ข!
๐๐ก๐จ ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
This worm infects primarily wild dogs, but can occasionally be found in our domestic dogs.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
Oslerus osleri makes its home in the trachea of dogs, forming ๐๐ซ๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฎ๐๐ก๐๐ฌ that contain adult worms. These worms will periodically lay eggs into the trachea, which are then coughed up and swallowed by the dog. The eggs develop into larvae and are passed in the dogโs feces, where they contaminate the environment. Dogs will eat contaminated food and ingest the larvae, who will migrate from the intestine to the lung via the bloodstream, completing their lifecycle.
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ?
Dogs typically have minimal clinical signs, but occasionally can present with coughing and difficulty breathing. In some cases, dead worms can induce an inflammatory response that may increase the dogโs clinical signs.
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ฌ๐๐?
The larvae of Oslerus can be detected on a fecal exam, and allow a diagnosis to be made. In some cases, the veterinarian may also do an ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฒ (looking down the trachea with a camera) to identify the parasites.
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐?
Typical antiparasitic drugs can be effective, but usually surgical removal of the brood pouches is the best method of treatment.
๐๐ก๐จ๐ญ๐จ๐ฌ
1) What the little parasites look like!
2-5) Examples of brood pouches in the trachea of wild canids!
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ
Maxie, G. Jubb, Kennedy and Palmerโs Pathology of Domestic Animals, Volume 2. Sixth Edition.
Photos 1-5 ยฉ Noahโs Arkive contributors Prestwood, Leathers, King, Jakowski licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
