Nematode Parasitism in Mammalian Hosts

Nematode parasites constitute one of the most widespread and ecologically significant groups of helminths infecting mammals, from wildlife to livestock and humans. They display a remarkable diversity of life‐cycle strategies, encompassing direct transmission via faecal–oral routes, tissue migration through intermediate invertebrate hosts, and complex zoonotic spill‐over events. Infection can lead to a spectrum of outcomes, from subclinical immunomodulation—often involving regulatory T-cell induction and altered cytokine profiles—to severe organ pathology such as pulmonary damage, intestinal malabsorption or neural migration. In livestock and companion animals, productivity losses and welfare impacts drive the development of antiparasitic drugs and vaccine candidates, while in wildlife reservoirs nematode assemblages reflect habitat disturbance and climate change. Advances in molecular diagnostics and high‐throughput sequencing are uncovering cryptic species, refining phylogenetic relationships and revealing host‐specificity patterns. Integrated approaches that combine ecological surveillance, immunological assays and molecular epidemiology are essential to understand transmission dynamics, assess the emergence of drug resistance and guide sustainable control in both developed and resource‐limited settings.

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Nematode Parasitism in Mammalian Hosts publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in nematode parasitism in mammalian hosts across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Definitive host: the organism in which a parasite attains sexual maturity and reproduces.

Intermediate host: a host that harbours the parasite during a non-reproductive or developmental stage.

Zoonosis: an infectious disease naturally transmissible between vertebrate animals and humans.

Helminth community structure: the composition, abundance and distribution patterns of worm species within a host population.

Synlophe: a longitudinal system of cuticular ridges in nematodes used in taxonomic and functional studies.

References

1. Human Neural Larva Migrans Caused by Ophidascaris robertsi Ascarid - Volume 29, Number 9—September 2023 - Emerging Infectious Diseases journal - CDC. Emerging Infectious Diseases (2023).
2. Morphology and genetic characterization of Physaloptera sibirica Petrow & Gorbunov, 1931 (Spirurida: Physalopteridae), from the hog-badger Arctonyx collaris Cuvier (Carnivora: Mustelidae), with molecular phylogeny of Physalopteridae. Parasites & Vectors (2023).
3. Helminth community structure of Didelphis marsupialis (Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae) in a transition area between the Brazilian Amazon and the Cerrado. Revista Brasileira de Parasitologia Veterinária (2022).