Stongylus vulgaris

  

Contents

  

Rev: 10/16/2025

  Classification Biology and Ecology
Morphology and Anatomy Life Cycle
Return to Stongylus Menu Economic Importance Ecosystem Functions and Services
Distribution Management
Return to Strongylidae Menu Feeding  References
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Classification:

Chromadorea

Chromadoria

Rhabditida

Rhabditina

Strongyloidea

Strongylidae

Strongylinae
                  
Stongylus vulgaris Looss, 1900
  •     Synonyms:
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    Morphology and Anatomy:

    Ref: Marchiondo et al., 2020

     

    Reported median body size for this species (Length mm; width micrometers; weight micrograms) - Click:
     
     
     

     

    Females:

    • 20-25 mm long, 1-1.4 mm wide.
    • Vulva is located 8-9 mm from the posterior end, slightly posterioor to mid-body
    •  Eggs measure around 88 x 50 um

    Males:  

    •  11-16 mm long, 750-900 um wide
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    Distribution:

    Worldwide

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    Economic Importance:

    Parasite of equines: horse, ass, mule, zebra. Considered the most pathogenic nematode parasite of horses

     

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    Feeding:

    Parasite of the mucosa of the cecum and ventral colon.  Adults are bloodsuckers, but considered less voracious than Strongylus edentatus or Strongylus equinus (Marchiondo et al., 2020)
       
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    Biology and Ecology:

     

    Infective L3 are desiccation resistant and cold tolerant and can survive in pasture during a winter. They have a filamentous sheath and are ingested by a host animal during grazinge

     

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    Life Cycle:

    Direct lifecycle, do not require and intermediate host. Eggs are passed in feces and hatch as a free-living microbivorous L1 which feed on bacteria, develop and undergo two molts to the infective L3 stage. that develop and molt in 12 days to an L2 that molts finally to the infective L3.

    Ingested L3 penetrate the intestinal mucosa and molt to the L4 in the submucosa. The L4 cannot penetrate the internal elastic lamina of small arteries and, during about 2 weeks, migrate along the surface of the vessels to infection sites in the cranial mesenteric artery and its main branches. Migration of the L4 causes arteritis, thrombosis, and embolism of the cranial mesenteric artery.

    L4 molt to young L5 in the artery about 90 days after infection. They cause arterial lesions and  thickening of the arterial walls. The young L5 return to the intestinal wall via the arterial lumina and become surrounded by pea-size or bean-size nodules in the submucosa of the ventral colon and cecum.

    The young adult worms rupture from the nodules into the lumen of the intestine where they mature and mate. Eggs are released in the feces. The prepatent period is 6-7 months (Marchiondo et al., 2020)

     

    Ecophysiological Parameters:

    For Ecophysiological Parameters for this species, click If species level data are not available, click for genus level parameters
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    Ecosystem Functions and Services:

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    Management:

    Anthelminthics are effective.

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    References:

    Beveridge, I., Spratt, D.M.  and Durette-Desset, M-C. 2014. Order Strongylida (Railliet and Henry, 1913). In Schmidt-Raesa, A. (ed). Handbook of Zoology: Gastroctricha, Cycloneurelia and Gnathifera. Vol 2. Nematoda. De Gruyter, Berlin

    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.

     

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    Copyright  1999 by Howard Ferris.
    Revised: October 16, 2025.