Dermatoxys
veligera
Esther van
Praag, Ph.D.
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Dermatoxys veligera is a nematode worm, belonging
to the Oxyuridae. It infests essentially wild
lagomorphs throughout the USA, and is occasionally found in house rabbits, D. vlakhaasi parasites hares in South Africa,
while D. hispaniensis is found in Spain. Dermatoxys sp.
does not represent a public health danger. The biology and life cycle of D.
veligera is not well understood, but is
probably direct. The eggs are oval (110 * 50 um) and slightly flattened
on one side. The embryo starts to develop as soon as the eggs are oviposited (laid). The L4 stage larvae are
usually found attached by hooks to the mucosa of the cecum. The males (8 - 11
mm long) are characterized by a small spicule,
while the females (16 mm long) have a vulva located in the cranial half of
their body. The worms live free in the intestine and the lumen of the cecum. Clinical signs
The clinical sign of Dermatoxis sp. infestation is typhlitis
(inflammation of the intestine and cecum), due to the attachment of the L4 stage
larvae. No clinical signs are ascribed to the infection by adult worms. Their
presence can be identified by fecal flotation for the presence of the eggs in
the feces. Treatment
Further
Information
1. Moomker J, Horak IG, Booyse
DG (1997) Parasites of South African Wildlife. XV. Helminths
of Scrub Hares, Lepus saxatilis in the Kruger National Park. Onderstepoort J. of Veterinary Res. 64: 285-290. 2. Wetzel
R. (1931) On the Biology of the Four-Stage Larva of Dermatoxys veligera (Rudolphi,
1819) Schneider 1866, an Oxyurid Parasitic in the
Hare. J. Parasiltol. 10: 40-43. 3.
Erickson AB. The Snowshoe Hare a New Host of Dermatoxys veligera
and Nematodirus leporis.
The Journal of Parasitology, Vol. 26, p. 433. |
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