qqlaha.blogg.se - Flat worms in hogs

Your horse has the ‘regular’ itch (ie, Queensland, sweet, whatever it’s called in your region) and are reacting to midge spit – and nothing else.

If your horse is itchy, something different could be happening to what you think is happening. Does your horse have “the itch” – or neck threadworms? It’s an unfortunate coincidence of environment that leads to many cases of neck threadworms being missed, because they’re assumed to be Itch. The biting insect that serves as a carrier is the Culicoides fly, which is also connected to Queensland Itch (aka Sweet Itch, Summer Itch, etc.). Unfortunately for those of us who keep horses in warmer, humid climates, it’s more frequent here.

The problem is global and horses in most countries have been found to have this parasite. It is the adult worm that later makes its home in the nuchal ligament.

The microscopic larval form live in the horse’s skin, mostly around the head, neck, shoulders, chest and underside of the belly. One reason these worms get relatively little attention is that they never live in the intestines. Onchocerca is what’s known as a parasitic filarial worm (nematode). All text and photographs (c) Jane Clothier. Original article by Jane Clothier, posted on, June 2013. That’s why owners often make the understandable assumption that their horse has Queensland itch or sweet itch. The horses become itchy, mostly around the head, neck, chest, shoulders and underside of the belly. For many they’re not a problem, but some horses develop a reaction to their microscopic larvae (the microfilariae). It runs the full length of the neck, from poll to withers, with a flat ligament part connecting with the cervical vertebrae.Īpparently, most horses have Onchocerca. Astonishingly, they live in the horse’s nuchal ligament.

Tucked in neatly at the end – it’s nearly always at the end – you’ll see the words Onchocerca cervicalis, otherwise known as neck threadworms.Īlso known as neck threadworms, these critters vary in length from 6cm to 30cm (think the length of a regular ruler). Look on any ivermectin or moxidectin-based wormer packet and you’ll see a long list of parasites.