Trichostrongylus tenuis

Last updated

Trichostrongylus tenuis
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Nematoda
Class: Chromadorea
Order: Rhabditida
Family: Trichostrongylidae
Genus: Trichostrongylus
Species:
T. tenuis
Binomial name
Trichostrongylus tenuis
(Mehlis, 1846)

Trichostrongylus tenuis, also known as the strongyle worm, is a gut nematode found in the United Kingdom [1] , sensitive to Pyrantel pamoate. Larvae have a short migration inside the mucosa of the intestine and return quickly to the digestive tract.

This endoparasite causes a condition often called strongylosis or 'grouse disease' and which can be the cause of regular crashes in grouse populations. When the adult worm burrows into the caeca walls it causes a lot of damage and internal bleeding which in itself is harmful to the grouse. The worms ultimately reduce the digestive efficiency thus affecting the condition of the grouse. The eggs of the strongyle worm found in the caecal droppings of red grouse, hatch out into a microscopic larvae stage. Living within the dropping they feed off bacteria and organic matter they develop through two moults reaching their third larval stage, 'L3'. The 'L3' larvae is now at its infective stage so it 'swims' up heather stalks, on a thin film of liquid, to the young shoots where it is most likely to be ingested by a host. Once in the body of a host they enter one of the two caecum in the intestine of the host where the larvae develop into adult worms. The adults mate within the caeca and the female can lay over 100 eggs a day which are passed out in the caecal dropping.

The development of the parasite can vary greatly depending on the conditions, namely temperature and humidity. The eggs and larvae can both tolerate periods of low temperature but neither can survive in hot and dry weather. In perfect conditions with high humidity and temperatures exceeding 15 °C most eggs will hatch within 24 hours, compared with at 5 °C where the eggs may take several days to hatch out. The larvae can remain active above 6 °C with relative humidity but when it is colder they halt their development but stay alive. With the climate changing as it is the worms find tolerable conditions for much of the year but they are picked up by grouse at two main periods of the year. The grouse may ingest infective larvae from the heather tips in the summer and early spring. During autumn and winter not all ingested 'L3' larvae will develop into adults, the larvae may begin to moult and temporarily halt their development and attach themselves to the caecum wall, they are said to be in an 'arrested' state. The larvae over-winter in the bird's intestine and in March/April when conditions are more favourable they resume their development.

With age the worm burden in grouse generally increases as each worm in the intestine of the grouse has to be individually ingested and the adult birds appear to have little resistance to the parasite. [2] The burden of worms is obtained when the birds feed on heather and the young birds feed mainly on insects; for this reason this parasite has little direct bearing on chick survival but can badly affect adults and immature birds.

High worm burdens in grouse can lead to mortality and poor condition leading to easy predation and poor reproduction. The strongyle worm burrows into the caecal mucosa which affects the bird's ability to control the scent it emits, making them particularly susceptible to mammalian predators who hunt using scent. High burden leading to poor condition of the hen grouse may not affect the clutch size but can affect her ability to incubate the eggs or brood the chicks so this parasite may indirectly affect chick mortality.

Related Research Articles

<i>Trichuris trichiura</i> Parasitic roundworm (a type of helminth) that causes trichuriasis

Trichuris trichiura, Trichocephalus trichiuris or whipworm, is a parasitic roundworm that causes trichuriasis when it infects a human large intestine. It is commonly known as the whipworm which refers to the shape of the worm; it looks like a whip with wider "handles" at the posterior end.

Trichuriasis Infection by the parasitic worm Trichuris trichiura (whipworm)

Trichuriasis, also known as whipworm infection, is an infection by the parasitic worm Trichuris trichiura (whipworm). If infection is only with a few worms, there are often no symptoms. In those who are infected with many worms, there may be abdominal pain, tiredness and diarrhea. The diarrhea sometimes contains blood. Infections in children may cause poor intellectual and physical development. Low red blood cell levels may occur due to loss of blood.

Red grouse Subspecies of bird

The red grouse is a medium-sized bird of the grouse family which is found in heather moorland in Great Britain and Ireland. It is usually classified as a subspecies of the willow ptarmigan but is sometimes considered to be a separate species, Lagopus scoticus. It is also known as the moorcock, moorfowl or moorbird. Lagopus is derived from Ancient Greek lagos (λαγος), meaning "hare", + pous (πους), "foot", in reference to the feathered feet and toes typical of this cold-adapted genus, and scoticus is "of Scotland".

<i>Ascaris suum</i> Species of roundworm

Ascaris suum, also known as the large roundworm of pig, is a parasitic nematode that causes ascariasis in pigs. While roundworms in pigs and humans are today considered as two species with different hosts, cross-infection between humans and pigs is possible; some researchers have thus argued they are the same species. Ascariasis is associated with contact to pigs and pig manure in Denmark.

Parelaphostrongylus tenuis is a neurotropic nematode parasite common to white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus, which causes damage to the central nervous system. Moose, elk, caribou, mule deer, and others are also susceptible to the parasite, but are aberrant hosts and are infected in neurological instead of meningeal tissue. The frequency of infection in these species increases dramatically when their ranges overlap high densities of white-tailed deer.

<i>Ascaridia galli</i> Species of roundworm

Ascaridia galli is a parasitic roundworm belonging to the phylum Nematoda. Nematodes of the genus Ascaridia are essentially intestinal parasites of birds. A. galli is the most prevalent and pathogenic species, especially in domestic fowl, Gallus domesticus. It causes ascaridiasis, a disease of poultry due to heavy worm infection, particularly in chickens and turkeys. It inhabits the small intestine, and can be occasionally seen in commercial eggs.

<i>Heligmosomoides polygyrus</i> Species of roundworm

Heligmosomoides polygyrus, previously named Nematospiroides dubius, is a naturally occurring intestinal roundworm of rodents. It belongs to the family Trychostrongylidae, and male and female worms are morphologically distinguishable. The parasite has a direct lifecycle, with its larval form being the infective stage. H. polygyrus has the ability to establish chronic infections in rodents and alter host immune responses. This nematode is widely used as a gastrointestinal parasitic model in immunological, pharmacological, and toxicological studies.

Uncinaria stenocephala is a nematode that parasitizes dogs, cats, and foxes as well as humans. It is rare to find in cats in the United States. Uncinaria stenocephala is the most common canine hookworm in cooler regions, such as Canada and the northern regions of the US, where it can be found primarily in foxes (40%). U. stenocephala is also one of the most common hookworms in the UK, called the northern hookworm, however it has a rather low prevalence. U. stenocephala is also considered to be zoonotic hookworms because they live in animals but can be transmitted to humans.

Glorious Twelfth

The Glorious Twelfth is the twelfth day of August, the start of the shooting season for red grouse, and to a lesser extent the ptarmigan in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This is one of the busiest days in the shooting season, with large numbers of game being shot. The date itself is traditional; the current legislation enshrining it in England and Wales is the Game Act 1831. Not all game have the same start to their open seasons – most begin on 1 September, with 1 October for woodcock and pheasant. Since English law prohibits game bird shooting on a Sunday, the start date is postponed to 13 August on years when the 12th falls on a Sunday.

Strongylida Suborder of roundworms

The Strongylida suborder includes many of the important nematodes found in the gastrointestinal tracts of ruminants, horses, and swine, as well as the lungworms of ruminants and the hookworms of dogs and cats.

Gapeworm Species of roundworm

A gapeworm, also known as a red worm and forked worm, is a parasitic nematode worm that infects the tracheas of certain birds. The resulting disease, known as "gape" occurs when the worms clog and obstruct the airway. The worms are also known as "red worms" or "forked worms" due to their red color and the permanent procreative conjunction of males and females. Gapeworms are common in young, domesticated chickens and turkeys.

<i>Strongylus vulgaris</i> Species of roundworm

Strongylus vulgaris, commonly known as the blood worm, is a common horse parasite in the phylum Nematoda. It looks like a long worm with a large biting mouth. They are usually reddish in color because of all the blood they take from the equine host. This nematode is considered to be one of the "most pathogenic" of the large strongyles subphylum and is distributed worldwide, wherever there are grassland and temperate environments.

<i>Trichuris</i> Genus of roundworms

Trichuris, often referred to as whipworms, is a genus of parasitic worms from the roundworm family Trichuridae, which are helminths. The name whipworm refers to the shape of the worm; they look like whips with wider "handles" at the posterior end. The name Trichocephalus is sometimes used for this genus.

<i>Toxocara canis</i> Species of roundworm

Toxocara canis is a worldwide-distributed helminth parasite of dogs and other canids. The name is derived from the Greek word "toxon," meaning bow or quiver, and the Latin word "caro," meaning flesh. They live in the small intestine of the definitive host. In adult dogs, the infection is usually asymptomatic but may be characterized by diarrhea. By contrast, massive infection with Toxocara canis can be fatal in puppies, causing diarrhea, vomiting, an enlarged abdomen, flatulence, and poor growth rate.

Pinworm (parasite) Species of worm

The pinworm, also known as threadworm or seatworm, is a parasitic worm. It is a nematode (roundworm) and a common intestinal parasite or helminth, especially in humans. The medical condition associated with pinworm infestation is known as pinworm infection (enterobiasis) or less precisely as oxyuriasis in reference to the family Oxyuridae.

<i>Trichostrongylus</i> Genus of roundworms

Trichostrongylus species are nematodes, which are ubiquitous among herbivores worldwide, including cattle, sheep, donkeys, goats, deer, and rabbits. At least 10 Trichostrongylus species have been associated with human infections. Infections occur via ingestion of infective larvae from contaminated vegetables or water. Epidemiological studies indicate a worldwide distribution of Trichostrongylus infections in humans, with the highest prevalence rates observed in individuals from regions with poor sanitary conditions, in rural areas, or who are farmers / herders. Human infections are most prevalent in the Middle East and Asia, with a worldwide estimated prevalence of 5.5 million people.

Trichuris vulpis is a whipworm that lives in the large intestine of canines in its adult stages. Out of different types of worms, Trichuris vulpis is one of the smaller worms with a size ranging from 30–50 mm in length. As the name suggests, the worm has a whip-like shape with distinct features including a small, narrow anterior head, which is the digestive part of the worm, and a larger posterior tail, which is the reproductive part of the worm. Eggs from T. vulpis are oval shaped with bipolar plugs and contain a thick outer shell. Their sizes range from 72–90 μm in length and 32–40 μm in width. Because of their thick outer shell, T. vulpis eggs are very resistant to environmental extremes such as freezing or hot temperatures, thus allowing for their long viability in the outside world.

Angiostrongylus costaricensis is a species of parasitic nematode and is the causative agent of abdominal angiostrongyliasis in humans. It occurs in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Baylisascaris procyonis, common name raccoon roundworm, is a roundworm nematode, found ubiquitously in raccoons, the definitive hosts. It is named after H. A. Baylis, who studied them in the 1920s–30s, and Greek askaris. Baylisascaris larvae in paratenic hosts can migrate, causing visceral larva migrans (VLM). Baylisascariasis as the zoonotic infection of humans is rare, though extremely dangerous due to the ability of the parasite's larvae to migrate into brain tissue and cause damage. Concern for human infection has been increasing over the years due to urbanization of rural areas resulting in the increase in proximity and potential human interaction with raccoons.

Taenia serialis, also known as a canid tapeworm, is found within canines such as foxes and dogs. Adult T. serialis are parasites of carnivores, particularly dogs, with herbivorous lagomorph mammals such as rabbits and hares, serving as intermediate hosts. In definitive hosts, T. serialis is acquired by eating tissues from a variety of intermediate hosts. Accidental infection of humans though, can occur when eggs are ingested from food or water contaminated with dog feces and the human then becomes the T. serialis intermediate host.

References

  1. Hudson, Peter J.; Newborn, David; Dobson, Andrew P. (1992). "Regulation and Stability of a Free-Living Host-Parasite System: Trichostrongylus tenuis in Red Grouse. I. Monitoring and Parasite Reduction Experiments". Journal of Animal Ecology. 61 (2): 477–486. doi:10.2307/5338. ISSN   0021-8790 . Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  2. Hudson, Peter J.; Dobson, Andrew P. (1997). "Transmission Dynamics and Host-Parasite Interactions of Trichostrongylus tenuis in Red Grouse (Lagopus lagopus scoticus)". The Journal of Parasitology. 83 (2): 194–202. doi:10.2307/3284438. ISSN   0022-3395 . Retrieved 18 June 2022.