As parasites go, the dog lungworm Oslerus osleri leads a simple life. Adult worms live inside a dog’s trachea, snug inside nodules of tissue they’ve made their host grow to house them. Worms mate and lay eggs inside the nodules. When the larval worms hatch, they make their host cough them out of the lungs and into the back of its mouth. If they’re swallowed, the larval worms ride through the intestinal tract and enter the outside world in dog feces, ready to infect any potential host that comes sniffing around. But if they’re in a mother dog, they can also use her saliva as a route to her pups when she licks them clean.
Think of that the next time your dog kisses your face.
Image of larval dog lungworm by the Parasitology école Nationale Vétérinaire Lyon
Source: Zajac, A. et al. 2006. Veterinary Clinical Parasitology. American Association of Veterinary Pathologists.
How common are these in American dogs? From the description it sounds like they're a negligible health problem for the dogs. True? These guys can't make the jump to dog owners?
Posted by: John Sullivan | October 24, 2009 at 01:47 PM
The papers I read suggested that theyre pretty common in dogs and wild canids worldwide, but only occasionally cause serious health problems. And there wasnt any indication that they can survive in people. But the idea that theyre lurking in your pets saliva? Ewwww.
Posted by: DianeAKelly | October 29, 2009 at 09:20 PM
Ewwww is right. I try not to think about these sorts of things. At one point I worked in a food laboratory. One of the things we tested was milk. There is an allowable level of E. coli for the milk to pass grade-A standards. It's not a high count but some can be detected and still pass. We also tested bread microscopically for rat hairs and insect parts. Again, there was an allowable amount. Mmmmm... insect parts and rodent hairs... yum, yum.
Posted by: Thom H. | November 02, 2009 at 02:06 PM