Chabertia ovina

Large-mouth Bowel Worm

Contents

Rev 10/16/2025

  Classification Biology and Ecology
Morphology and Anatomy Life Cycle
Return to Chabertia menu Ecosystem Functions and Services
Distribution Management
Return to Chabertiidae Menu Feeding  References
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 Classification

Phylum:  Nematoda
Class:    Chromadorea
Order:    Rhabditida 

Superfamily:  Strongyloidea

Family:  Chabertiidae

 

Chabertia ovina (Fabricius, 1788) Railliet & Henry, 1909

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Morphology and Anatomy:

Females:

  • 17-20 mm long and 500 um wide with a 200-230 um long tail terminating in a dorsally-curved point.
  • Vulva very posterior, 375-400 um from the posterior end.
  • Eggs measure 77-100 x 45-59 um with a morula stage when laid

Ref: Marchiondo et al., 2020

Males:

  • 13-14 mm long and 330 um wide
  • Spicules slender spicules, 1.3-1.7 mm long
  • Gubernaculum 80-137 um long.
 
Reported median body size for this species (Length mm; width micrometers; weight micrograms) - Click:


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Distribution:

Cosmopolitan in the colon of sheep, goats, cattle and deer worldwide.

 

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Economic Importance:

 

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Hosts:

Sheep, goats, cattle, deer

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Feeding:


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Life Cycle:

Lifesycle is direct, no intermediate host. Eggs are deposited in feces. The L1 is microbivorous in the feces and molts to the L2 in 36 hours; the L2 molts to the infective, ensheathed L3 in 57 days. The infective larvae are ingested by grazing animals, exsheath, and either attach to the mucosa of the colon or penetrate the mucosa causing petechial hemorhaging (Marchiondo et al, 2020).

Infective second stage juveniles ingested through grazing have an extra sheath and a small stoma. Third stage juveniles lose the sheath and enlargement of a buccal capsule.  Third stage ljuveniles spend an extensive histotropic phase in the wall of the small intestine prior to the third molt. Four weeks may be reqyuired from initial infection until adults are establiched in colon. Fifth stage juveniles in the colon mature as adults and mate.  Eggs are first passed in the feces 49 days after infection (Herd, 1971).

Live cycle progression of Chabertia ovina in the intestinal tract of sheep.  Days after infection by enshesthed second-stage juveniles.
Figure from Herd, 1971

For Ecophysiological Parameters for this species, click
If species level data are not available, click for genus level parameters
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Damage:

The infective L3 larvae  ingested by grazing animals, exsheath, and cause hemorrhaging of the colon mucosa. The fully developed buccal capsule of the 5th juvenile stage enables the adult C. ovina to become firmly attached to wall of the large intestine by pressing the buccal capsule against the mucous membrane and exerting a powerful sucking action through repeated expansion of the muscular esophagus. A plug of host tissue is ingested is and predigested by the secretion of the dorsal esophageal gland. (Herd, 1971). The major pathological effect of infection is due to the L3 and adults ingesting plugs of mucosa, causing local bleeding and protein loss. (Marchiondo et al., 2020).

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Management:

Topical and injected formulations of some anthelminthics are effective in cattle (Rehbein et al., 2022).


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References:

Herd R.P., 1971. The parasitic life cycle of Chabertia ovina (Fabricius, 1788) Railliet & Henry, 1909 in sheep. International Journal for Parasitology, 1:189-199.

Marchiondo, A.A., Cruthers L.R., Reinemeyer, C.R.  2020. Nematoda, Strongyloidea. Chapter 2 in Marchiondo, Cruthers and Fourie (eds) Parasiticide Screening Vol 2. Academic Press.

Rehbein S., Hamel, D., Yoon, S., Johnson, C. 2022. Efficacy of eprinomectin topical solution and eprinomectin extended-release injection treatments against developing larval and adult Chabertia ovina and Oesophagostomum venulosum - two less common cattle nematode parasites. Veterinary Parasitology 312: 109837 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2022.109837

 

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