Oxyuris equi
Oxyuris equi
Taxonomy
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Nematoda
- Class Secernentea
- Order Oxyurida
- Superfamily Oxyuroidea
- Family Oxyuridae
- Genus Oxyuris
Final host
Horse, donkey
Morphology
Adults: known as "pin worms" because of the very long tapering tails of mature females. Mature females (up to 10 - 15 cm long) are much larger than mature males (9-12 mm long) The oesophagus has the typical oxyurid oesophageal double bulb The vulva in the female is situated anteriorly and males have caudal alae and a single pinshaped spicule Eggs (80-95 by 40-45 µm) are ovoid, thick-selled, smooth and slightly flattened on one side with a transparent mucoid operculate plug at one end and and contain a late-stage morula or a first larval stage when shed in faeces
Cycle
Direct
Location
Caecum, colon, rectum
Feeding
Histophagous and intestinal content
Diagnostic
Eggs
Transmission
L3 within the egg
