Studies on the life-history of Bunostomum phlebotomum (Railliet, 1900), a hookworm parasite of cattle

Abstract

A description is given of the processes of copulation, formation of the egg and spermatozoon, cleavage, embryogeny and hatching in B. phlebotomum. These processes were found to be essentially similar to those in other strongyle nematodes.The anatomy of the first three larval stages is described and the observations of Conradi & Barnette (1908) and Schwartz (1924) were largely confirmed.Penetration of the skin of calves by the infective larva was observed histologically. The larvae were found to have reached the dermis within 30 min. and to have penetrated the cutaneous blood vessels within 60 min. of application to the skin. The larvae were found in the lung where the third ecdysis was in progress 10 days after penetration of the skin. A description is given of the growth of the third-stage larva in the lung, the changes which take place during the third ecdysis, and the anatomy of the fourth-stage larva.The fourth-stage larvae exsheath in the lungs and travel to the intestine. After a period of growth in which sexual differentiation takes place, the fourth ecdysis occurs and the adult parasite emerges. The time required for the attainment of maturity was found to be somewhere between 30 and 56 days after penetration of the skin.This paper was written at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Veterinary Laboratories, Wey-bridge, and the writer would like to express his gratitude to the Director, Prof. T. Dalling, also to Dr W. R. Wooldridge, chairman of the Council of the Veterinary Educational Trust for their help and encouragement. The writer's thanks are also due to Dr H. A. Baylis, Prof. R. T. Leiper and Dr E. L. Taylor for their advice and help on technical points, and to Mr R. A. O. Shonekan, African laboratory assistant, for his able co-operation.