Uncinaria stenocephala
| Uncinaria stenocephala | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Uncinaria stenocephala | ||||||||||||
| Railliet , 1884 |
Uncinaria stenocephala is a hookworm that is common parasitic in the small intestine of foxes . Dogs and cats are also susceptible to the parasite and can become infected by ingesting fox droppings.
Life cycle
The adult worms live in the small intestine and form eggs 75 µm long and 45 µm thick, which are excreted in the feces. In the environment, larvae hatch, which takes about 2 to 8 days under optimal conditions. The larvae are mostly ingested orally with contaminated soil and plants or via false hosts such as mice. But they can also penetrate through the skin. After penetrating the mucous membrane, the larvae migrate to the lungs, where they mature. From there they are coughed up and swallowed again and thus get into the small intestine.
Some larvae can also migrate into the muscles and remain there as a resting stage. From there they can migrate to the intestine, but also to the mammary gland or even to the uterus and thus infect unborn fetuses or suckling pups during the suckling period.
While a minor infestation is usually asymptomatic, more severe infestation can cause diarrhea and a lack of protein in the blood ( hypoproteinemia ).
Combat
The control of adult worms is carried out with active ingredients ( worming treatment ) such as febantel , fenbendazole or flubendazole that are effective against roundworms .
literature
- Thomas Schnieder (Ed.): Veterinary Parasitology. Paul Parey, 2006, ISBN 3-8304-4135-5