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It commonly known as tongue worm as the adult stage is somewhat tongue shaped.
Body is flattened and resembling a fluke. Linguatula serrata<br>
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Final Hots: Dog, fox, wolf, horse, sheep, goat and rarely man
Intermediate Hosts: Herbivorous animals (Horse, sheep, goat, bovine, rabbit and rodents) act as intermediate host.
Location: Nasal and respiratory passage of dog Linguatula serrata<br>
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Life-cycle:
Infected dog excretes eggs through nasal secretion or, if swallowed, with faeces.
Ingested eggs hatched to four-legged larvae (resembling a mite) in infected intermediate host.
Dogs get the infection by the ingestion of nymph stage infected viscera of infected intermediate hosts especially of sheep and cattle. Linguatula serrata<br>
Pathogenesis:
Tongue worm infected dogs sneeze and cough at interval and nasal discharge often blood stained may also be observed.
Consumption of raw or undercooked liver of sheep and goat infected with immature stage of Linguatula serrata by the man, as a part of the religious ritual in Eastern Mediterranean countries has resulted in the development of a condition known as “Halzoun syndrome”.
In Sudan, nasopharyngeal linguatuliasis (marra syndrome) in human occurs by the consummation of marra dish, a favorite Sudanese dish prepared from raw liver, lung trachea and rumen of sheep or goat with chillies and lemon. Linguatula serrata<br>
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Diagnosis :
Eggs of tongue worm found in the faeces or the nasal discharge of infected animals. Linguatula serrata<br>
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Treatment:
No satisfactory treatment but treatment with organophosphate insecticides may be useful.
Tongue worms may be removed surgically. Linguatula serrata<br>
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Control:
By preventing the dogs and foxes from eating of possible infected material. Linguatula serrata<br>
