Muellerius capillaris
Encyclopedia
Muellerius capillaris also known as hair lungworm, is nematode
parasite of small ruminant
s. Adult worm
s occur in small air passages (bronchioles, bronchioli) and in the alveoli, even in the subpleural tissue. In ruminants, parasite causes chronic bronchopneumonia
. In case of massive infection or secondary bacterial infection, M. capillaris infection can cause death
of the host.
Nematode
The nematodes or roundworms are the most diverse phylum of pseudocoelomates, and one of the most diverse of all animals. Nematode species are very difficult to distinguish; over 28,000 have been described, of which over 16,000 are parasitic. It has been estimated that the total number of nematode...
parasite of small ruminant
Ruminant
A ruminant is a mammal of the order Artiodactyla that digests plant-based food by initially softening it within the animal's first compartment of the stomach, principally through bacterial actions, then regurgitating the semi-digested mass, now known as cud, and chewing it again...
s. Adult worm
Worm
The term worm refers to an obsolete taxon used by Carolus Linnaeus and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck for all non-arthropod invertebrate animals, and stems from the Old English word wyrm. Currently it is used to describe many different distantly-related animals that typically have a long cylindrical...
s occur in small air passages (bronchioles, bronchioli) and in the alveoli, even in the subpleural tissue. In ruminants, parasite causes chronic bronchopneumonia
Bronchopneumonia
Bronchopneumonia or bronchial pneumonia or "Bronchogenic pneumonia" is the acute inflammation of the walls of the bronchioles...
. In case of massive infection or secondary bacterial infection, M. capillaris infection can cause death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
of the host.