PARASITOLOGY

• Parastrongylus cantonens is aka

  “RAT LUNGWORM
• Parastrongylus cantonensis live in

  RAT LUNGS
• Parastrongylus cantonensis causes

  EOSINOPHILIC MENINGOENCEPHALITIS
• Parastrongylus cantonensis is formerly under the genus

  ANGIOSTRONGYLUS
• Parastrongylus cantonensis female adult worm

  • 19 to 33 mm (L) and 0.28 to 0.50 mm (D)
  • “BARBER’S POLE APPEARANCE” - because they have uterine tubules that are wound spirally around the intestine
  • White - UTERUS
  • Red - DIGESTIVE TRACT
  • Has transparent cuticle
  • Blunt-shaped posterior end
  • After 2 weeks, the adult females start laying eggs
  • Lays 15,000 eggs daily
• Parastrongylus cantonensis male adult worm

  • 16 to 22 mm (L), 0.25 to 0.35 mm (D)
  • Pale and filiform
  • Caudal Bursa: well-developed, which is kidneyshaped and single-lobed.
• Parastrongylus cantonensis 1 st STAGE LARVA

  • found in the lungs of the rodent host
  • has a distinct small knob near the tip of the tail
  • INFECTIVE STAGE for the molluscan intermediate host
• Parastrongylus cantonensis 3 RD STAGE LARVAE

  • Penetrates stomach to reach bloodstream to access the CNS
  • Has 2 well-developed chitinous rods below its buccal cavity
  • INFECTIVE STAGE in rats and humans
• Parastrongylus cantonensis egg

  • 46 to 48 μm by 68 to 74 μm
  • Elongated, ovoidal
  • Delicate hyaline shells
  • unembryonated when oviposited
• Parastrongylus cantonensis definitive host

  rat
• Parastrongylus cantonensis intermediate host

  Mollusks