Angiostrongylidae

Angiostrongylidae is a family of nematodes, commonly known as lungworms. These parasitic roundworms are characterized by their habitat within the circulatory system or respiratory organs of their hosts. The family includes several genera, most notably Angiostrongylus, which is of significant veterinary and medical importance.

Members of the Angiostrongylidae family typically have a complex life cycle involving one or more intermediate hosts, often gastropods such as snails and slugs, and a definitive host, which is usually a mammal. The larvae are ingested by the intermediate host, develop through several stages, and then become infective. The definitive host becomes infected by consuming the infected intermediate host.

Once in the definitive host, the larval worms migrate through tissues, eventually reaching their final location where they mature into adult worms. The adult worms often reside in the pulmonary arteries or capillaries, where they reproduce and lay eggs. These eggs are then coughed up, swallowed, and passed out in the feces, continuing the life cycle.

The most well-known species in this family is Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the rat lungworm. This parasite can infect a wide range of rodents as definitive hosts, but can also infect humans who accidentally ingest infected snails or slugs, or eat raw or undercooked intermediate hosts. In humans, Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection, known as eosinophilic meningitis, can cause severe neurological symptoms. Other species within the family infect various domestic and wild animals, causing respiratory diseases.