Muellerius capilaris
Muellerius capilaris
Taxonomy
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Nematoda
- Class Secernentea
- Order Strongylida
- Superfamily Metastrongyloidea
- Family Protostrongylidae
- Genus Muellerius
Final host
Sheep, goat, deer, wild ruminants
Morphology
Adults: slender, hair-like worms (≈ 1-2.5 cm long) deeply embedded in lung tissue The posterior end of the male is spirally coiled and the bursa is very small and folded inwards L1 (≈ 290-322 µm) has a S-shaped wavy tail and a small dorsal spine adjacent to the tip
Cycle
Indirec with a terrestrian molluscan as intermediate host (Cernuella, Helicella, Cochlicella) With larval migration via lymph and blood to the lungs
Location
Bronchioles and alveoluses
Feeding
Bronchoalveolar content
Diagnostic
L1
Transmission
L3 within the mollusc