''Gongylonema'' is a

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 ...

of thread-like nematode that was described by Molin in 1857. It is the only currently valid genus in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Gongylonematidae, though the mysterious '' Spiruroides'' – usually placed in the Subuluridae, which are not closely related to ''Gongylonema'' among the

Spiruria Subclass Spiruria comprises mostly parasitic secernentean nematodes. In an alternate classification, they are treated as suborder Spirurina, with the orders listed here being ranked as infraorders. The Ascaridida and the Oxyurida, which include ...

– might actually belong here. They are

parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

s of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

s and mammals, transmitted by

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three ...

s (especially

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

s). Some 38

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 ...

are known, about 12 of which have been recorded in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

. Several species are significant parasites of

domestic animal This page gives a list of domesticated animals, also including a list of domestication of animals, animals which are or may be currently undergoing the process of domestication and animals that have an extensive relationship with humans beyond simp ...

s, causing gongylonemiasis. Human infection by these nematodes is very rare: since its discovery fewer than 100 people have been reported to be infected with these parasites, always with the species '' G. pulchrum''.

Species

* '' Gongylonema aegypti'' Ashour & Lewis, 1986 * '' Gongylonema aequispicularis'' Kadenazii, 1957 * '' Gongylonema alecturae'' Johnston & Mawson, 1942 * '' Gongylonema baylisi'' Freitas & Lent, 1937 * '' Gongylonema beveridgei'' Mawson, 1971 * '' Gongylonema brevispiculum'' Seurat, 1914 * '' Gongylonema caucasica'' Kurashvili, 1941 * '' Gongylonema confusum'' Sonsino, 1896 * '' Gongylonema congolense'' Fain, 1955 * '' Gongylonema dipodomysi'' Kruidenier & Peebles, 1958 * '' Gongylonema dupuisi'' Quentin, 1965 * '' Gongylonema fotedari'' Gupta & Trivedi, 1986 * '' Gongylonema graberi'' Barre, 1980 * '' Gongylonema ingluvicola'' Ransom, 1904 * '' Gongylonema longispiculum'' Schulz, 1927 * '' Gongylonema macrogubernaculum'' Lubimov, 1931 * '' Gongylonema madeleinensis'' Diouf, Bâ, Marchand & Vassiliadès, 1997 * '' Gongylonema marsupialis'' Vaz & Pereira, 1934 * '' Gongylonema mesasiatica'' Sultanov, 1961 * '' Gongylonema metopidiusi'' Gupta & Kumar, 1977 * '' Gongylonema mexicanum'' Caballero & Zerecero, 1944 * '' Gongylonema minimum'' Molin, 1857 * '' Gongylonema monnigi'' * ''

Gongylonema mucronatum ''Gongylonema'' is a genus of thread-like nematode that was described by Raffaele Molin, Molin in 1857. It is the only currently valid genus in the family (biology), family Gongylonematidae, though the mysterious ''Spiruroides'' – usually place ...

'' Seurat, 1916 * '' Gongylonema musculi'' Rudolphi, 1819 * '' Gongylonema neoplasticum'' Fibiger & Ditlevsen, 1914 * '' Gongylonema pacoi'' Hernandez & Gutierrez, 1992 * '' Gongylonema pithyusensis'' Mas-Coma, 1977 * '' Gongylonema problematicum'' Schulz, 1924 * ''

Gongylonema pulchrum ''Gongylonema pulchrum'' is the only parasite of the genus ''Gongylonema'' capable of infecting humans. ''Gongylonema pulchrum'' infections are due to humans acting as accidental hosts for the parasite. There are seven genera of spirudia nematod ...

'' Molin, 1857 * '' Gongylonema rodhaini'' Fain, 1948 * '' Gongylonema saimirisi'' Artigas, 1933 * '' Gongylonema soricis'' Fain, 1955 * '' Gongylonema spalacis'' Schulz, 1927 * '' Gongylonema verrucosum'' Giles, 1892

References

Spirurida Parasitic nematodes of vertebrates Secernentea genera {{parasitic animal-stub