Parafilaria multipapillosa

Parafilaria multipapillosa	Contents	Rev 10/28/2025
	Classification	Hosts
	Morphology and Anatomy	Life Cycle
Return to Parafilaria Menu	Economic Importance	Damage
	Distribution	Management
Return to Onchocercidae Menu	Feeding	References
	Nemaplex Home Page	Go to Dictionary of Terminology

Spirurina

Filarioidea

Filariidae or Oncho cercidae

Parafilaria multipapillosa (Condamine & Drouilly, 1878) Yorke and Maplestone, 1926

Morphology and Anatomy:

Adults of Parafilaria multipapillosa do not have lips surrounding the oral aperture

Males:

Length 2.8 cm; width 260-280 um
Spicules unequal (one 680-750 um, the other 130-140 um long)

Females:

About 4-7 cm long x 0.4-0.5 mm wide
Vulva very anterior, close to mouth
Eggs 50-58 x 24-33 um, already embryonated when laid on the skin surface of horses

Ref: Dzimnnski et al., 2020

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

Distribution:

Parafilaria species are filarid parasites in the subcutaneous and intermuscular connective tissue of horses (Dziminski et al., 2020).

Parasitic in the subcutaneous and intermuscular connective tissue. Parasitism results in crops of pea-sized nodules in the subcutaneous tissues, which bleed through small pores (summer bleeding) releasing eggs and microfilariae.

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Hosts:

Horses

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Life Cycle:

Intermediate host required

Intermediate hosts, Haematobia irritans (the horn fly) ingests the eggs and larvae from the exudate of lesions and subcutaneous nodules on the surface of the definitive host hatch almost immediately in the exudate released from the nodules.
The L3 develops in the body of the fly within several weeks.
Transmission of the L3 to horses occurs when infected flies deposit larvae during feeding on lachrymal secretions or skin wounds.
L3 develop under the skin of the definitive host in 5-7 months. Dermal bleeding developing in 7-9 months (Dzimianski et al., 2020).

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

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Damage:

Dermal bleeding from subcutaneous nodules. More extensive in summer months (Dzimianski et al., 2020).

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Management:

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References:

Dzimianski, M.T., Marchiondo, A.A., Cruthers, L.R. 2020. Nematoda, Filarioidea. Chapter 2 in Marchiondo, Cruthers and Fourie (eds) Parasiticide Screening Vol 2. Academic Press.

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