Metastrongylosis
Medical condition
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Metastrongylosis is a parasitic disease that affects wild boars and pigs which live outdoors.[1] It is caused by various species of roundworms of the genus Metastrongylus.[2] A handful of cases of metastrongylosis have been reported in humans.[3]
| Metastrongylosis | |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Infectious diseases, helminthologist  |
Metastrongylus species have a life cycle which involves earthworms as an intermediate host.[4] Pigs root for earthworms in soil, and ingest the Metastrongylus larvae which are infesting the earthworms.[2] The larvae migrate to the lungs, and cause the pig to cough and have difficulty breathing.[4]
