''Skrjabingylus nasicola'' is a species of parasitic

nematode The nematodes ( or grc-gre, Νηματώδη; la, Nematoda) or roundworms constitute the phylum Nematoda (also called Nemathelminthes), with plant-Parasitism, parasitic nematodes also known as eelworms. They are a diverse animal phylum inhab ...

in the family

Metastrongylidae The Metastrongylidae are a family of nematodes. Genera in the family Metastrongylidae include: * ''Aelurostrongylus''Ohlweiler F. P., Guimarães M. C. de A., Takahasi F. Y. & Eduardo J. M. (2010). "Current distribution of ''Achatina fulica'', i ...

. Its lifecycle includes an intermediary mollusc host and a paratenic host, a shrew or small rodent. Adult worms are found in the nasal sinuses of

mustelid The Mustelidae (; from Latin ''mustela'', weasel) are a family of carnivorous mammals, including weasels, badgers, otters, ferrets, martens, minks and wolverines, among others. Mustelids () are a diverse group and form the largest family in ...

Infection

Hansson (1977) showed that direct transmission of the nematode from mustelid to mustelid did not occur, nor did infection occur when the mustelid was fed on small

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...

amphibian Amphibians are tetrapod, four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the Class (biology), class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terres ...

s, molluscs, arthropods, or

earthworms An earthworm is a terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. They exhibit a tube-within-a-tube body plan; they are externally segmented with corresponding internal segmentation; and they usually have setae on all segments. Th ...

. Infection could occur when the animal was fed on the

common shrew The common shrew (''Sorex araneus''), also known as the Eurasian shrew, is the most common shrew, and one of the most common mammals, throughout Northern Europe, including Great Britain, but excluding Ireland. It is long and weighs , and has ve ...

(''Sorex aranea'') and larvae of the nematode begin to be excreted by the mustelid some three weeks later. Research since then has shown that rodents can be a source of infection for mustelids.

Lifecycle

''Skrjabingylus nasicola'' has a complex

lifecycle Life cycle, life-cycle, or lifecycle may refer to: Science and academia * Biological life cycle, the sequence of life stages that an organism undergoes from birth to reproduction ending with the production of the offspring *Life-cycle hypothesis ...

. Larvae passed in the faeces of infected mustelids are ingested by slugs such as ''

Deroceras reticulatum ''Deroceras reticulatum'', common names the "grey field slug" and "grey garden slug", is a species of small air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Agriolimacidae. This species is an important agricul ...

''. Mustelids do not usually eat molluscs, but the slugs may be eaten by a mammalian paratenic host such as '' Apodemus'' sp. or ''

Clethrionomys glareolus The bank vole (''Myodes glareolus'') is a small vole with red-brown fur and some grey patches, with a tail about half as long as its body. A rodent, it lives in woodland areas and is around in length. The bank vole is found in much of Europe an ...

''. No developmental stages take place in this host and the nematode rests in the glandular zones in the head or possibly in the muscle or connective tissue. Further development takes place when this host is eaten by a mustelid and the parasite moves into its nasal tissues.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5268946 Strongylida Parasitic nematodes of mammals Nematodes described in 1842