Lungworm

lungworm, any of the parasitic worms of the superfamily Metastrongyloidea (phylum Nematoda) that infest the lungs and air passages of mammals, including dolphins and whales. Examples include those of the genus Metastrongylus that live in pigs and those of the genus Dictyocaulus that live in sheep and cattle. Many species of lungworms are of veterinary importance as well as of significance to human health. Members of the genus Angiostrongylus, for example, are known to be pathogenic in humans. The rat lungworm (A. cantonensis) normally occurs as a parasite in rats in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, but in humans it causes rat lungworm disease, which is characterized by eosinophilic meningitis, an elevation of the white blood cells known as eosinophils in the central nervous system.

The life cycle of lungworms can be direct or can require intermediate hosts, such as snails and slugs, depending on the lungworm species. The French heartworm (A. vasorum) is a cause of lungworm in dogs and wild canids and certain other animals; the parasite is carried by slugs and snails.

Lungworms should not be confused with lung flukes, such as those of the genus Paragonimus, which are trematodes (phylum Platyhelminthes).