''Capillaria'' is a genus of nematodes in the family

Capillariidae ''Capillariidae'' is a family of parasitic nematodes. All its members are parasites in vertebrates when they are in their adult stage. Taxonomy The family Capillariidae was created by Railliet in 1915. It is accepted in the most recent classifi ...

(or, according to classifications, in the family

Trichinellidae The family Trichinellidae includes the genus ''Trichinella''. ''Trichinella'', also known as the trichina worm, is responsible for the disease trichinosis Trichinosis, also known as trichinellosis, is a parasitic disease caused by roundwor ...

).
Since the

taxonomy Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

of the

is disputed, species are included within the single

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

''Capillaria'' or 22 different genera (''Amphibiocapillaria, Aonchotheca, Baruscapillaria, Calodium, Capillaria, Capillostrongyloides, Crocodylocapillaria, Echinocoleus, Eucoleus, Freitascapillaria, Gessyella, Liniscus, Paracapillaria, Paracapillaroides, Pearsonema, Paratrichosoma, Pseudocapillaria, Piscicapillaria, Pseudocapillaroides, Pterothominx, Schulmanela'', and ''Tenoranema'').Moravec, František 2001: Trichinelloid Nematodes parasitic in cold-blooded vertebrates. Academia, Praha, 432 pp. (list of genera in pages 30-32) ()
Some species parasitic in fish, previously classified within ''Capillaria'', are now included in ''

Huffmanela ''Huffmanela'' is a genus of parasitic nematodes, belonging to the family Trichosomoididae. Morphology As other nematodes, species of ''Huffmanela'' are elongate and vermiform. They are especially thin and small. The male is smaller than the fem ...

'' (family

Trichosomoididae The ''Trichosomoididae'' is a family of nematodes. Morphological characteristics The Trichosomoididae, as most nematodes, have an elongate body, vermiform and covered with a cuticle. There is often a cuticular ornamentation in form of cephalic ...

). Old literature, and sometimes modern medical literature, use ''Capillaria'' as a

for

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

included in all these genera.
The term

Capillariasis Capillariasis is a disease caused by nematodes in the genus '' Capillaria''.Berger SA, Marr JS. Human Parasitic Diseases Sourcebook. Jones and Bartlett Publishers: Sudbury, Massachusetts, 2006. The two principal forms of the disease are: * Intest ...

is generally used for diseases produced by species of ''Capillaria'', even if the species is now placed in another genus.

Species

Parasite140131-fig1 Capillaria plectropomi Figure 1H Caudal end of male

Species in the genus ''Capillaria'' include (among hundreds of described species): * ''

Capillaria aerophila ''Capillaria aerophila'' is a nematode parasite found in the respiratory tract of foxes, dogs, and various other carnivorous mammals. A few cases of human infestation have also been reported. Though it is sometimes called a "lungworm", this t ...

''; modern name ''Eucoleus aerophilus''; a parasite of the respiratory system of foxes and other mammals * ''

Capillaria gastrica ''Capillaria gastrica'' is a parasitic nematode in the genus '' Capillaria''. Among the known host species are the marsh rice rat (''Oryzomys palustris'') and deermouse (''Peromyscus maniculatus ''Peromyscus maniculatus'' is a rodent nativ ...

''; a parasite of rodents * ''

Capillaria hepatica ''Capillaria hepatica'' is a parasitic nematode which causes hepatic capillariasis in rodents and numerous other mammal species, including humans. The life cycle of ''C. hepatica'' may be completed in a single host species. However, the eggs, wh ...

''; modern name ''Calodium hepaticum''; cause of

hepatic capillariasis The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it ...

in humans * ''

Capillaria philippinensis ''Capillaria philippinensis'' is a parasitic nematode which causes intestinal capillariasis. This sometimes fatal disease was first discovered in Northern Luzon, Philippines, in 1964. Cases have also been reported from China, Egypt, Indonesia ...

''; modern name ''Paracapillaria philippinensis''; cause of

intestinal capillariasis Capillariasis is a disease in the group of helminthiasis diseases caused by the nematode '' Capillaria philippinensis''. Symptoms and signs Symptoms in infested humans include watery diarrhea, abdominal pain, edema, weight loss, borborygmus (s ...

in humans * ''

Capillaria plica ''Capillaria plica'' (dog bladder worm) is a parasitic nematode which is most often found in the urinary bladder, and occasionally in the kidneys, of dogs and foxes. It has also been found in the domestic cat, and various wild mammals. Its ...

''; modern name ''Pearsonema plica''; a parasite of the urinary system of dogs and other mammals * ''

Capillaria feliscati Capillaria feliscati (also known as Pearsonema feliscati, the cat bladder worm is a worm that affects cats, and seldom dogs. Its main final hosts are wild carnivores (foxes, wolves, coyotes, hedgehogs, etc.). It is a urinary tract nematode, thoug ...

''; modern name ''Pearsonema feliscati''; a parasite of the urinary system of cats and other mammals

References

Enoplea genera Parasitic nematodes of mammals {{Parasitic animal-stub

Species

See also

References