Tongue worm

Taxonomic position. Linguatula serrata, commonly known as the tongue worm, is an arthropod parasite classified within the class Pentastomida. It is important to clarify that this organism is not a plant pest. It is an obligatory parasite that affects mammals, including domestic livestock, and holds significance primarily in veterinary medicine rather than agronomy or crop protection.

Affected hosts. While it does not damage crops, this parasite poses a risk to agricultural animal health. It primarily affects carnivorous animals like dogs (definitive hosts) and various herbivores, including cattle, sheep, and goats (intermediate hosts). It does not cause any direct damage to vegetables, grains, or other cultivated plants.

Biology and life cycle. The parasite exhibits an indirect life cycle. Adult worms reside in the nasal passages of carnivores and shed eggs into the environment via nasal secretions. When grazing animals ingest contaminated vegetation or water, they become intermediate hosts. The larvae hatch in the digestive tract, migrate to internal organs (liver, lungs, lymph nodes), and develop into nymphs, which are the infective stage for the definitive host.

Damage and clinical impact. The infestation, known as linguatulosis, results in clinical and subclinical symptoms in livestock. The nymphs cause physical injury to the liver and lung tissues, which triggers an inflammatory response. In severe cases, this leads to significant weight loss, diminished productivity, and organ condemnation during meat inspection, resulting in direct economic losses for livestock farmers.

Prevention measures. Effective control relies on breaking the parasite's life cycle. Key strategies include:

• Strictly prohibiting the feeding of raw offal (especially liver and lungs) to dogs.
• Regular anthelmintic treatment of farm dogs.
• Maintaining sanitary standards in livestock facilities and slaughterhouses.
• Ensuring that grazing lands are not contaminated with fecal matter or nasal secretions from infected carnivores.