Parafilaria multipapillosa
| Parafilaria multipapillosa | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Nematoda |
| Class: | Secernentea |
| Order: | Spirurida |
| Family: | Filariidae |
| Genus: | Parafilaria |
| Species: | P. multipapillosa |
| Binomial name | |
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Parafilaria multipapillosa |
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Parafilaria multipapillosa (syn. Filaria haemorrhagica) is a parasitic nematode of the genus Parafilaria, which affects horses causing hemorrhagic subcutaneous nodules in the head and upper forelimbs, in North Africa, Southern and Eastern Europe, Asia and South America, leading to bleeding from the skin. It is commonly referred to as "Summer bleeding".
P. multipapillosa is related to Parafilaria antipini which are found in deer, and Parafilaria bovicola which causes hemorrhagic nodules in the skin of cattle and buffalo.
The nematode is thought to be passed by blood-sucking Haematobia spp [biting flies] in spring and summer. It causes skin nodules, particularly on the head and upper forequarters, which often bleed profusely ("summer bleeding") but then usually resolve, though occasionally suppurating. The nodules and bleeding, though annoying and unsightly are generally of little consequence. The clinical signs are pathognomonic. No effective treatment is available.
'“Modern researchers, [Professor Victor] Mair notes, have come up with two different ideas [for the ancient Chinese references to the “Blood-sweating” horses of Ferghana]. The first suggests that small subcutaneous blood vessels burst as the horses sustained a long hard gallop. The second theorizes that a parasitic nematode, Parafilaria multipapillosa, triggered the phenomenon. P. multipapillosa is widely distributed across the Russian steppes and makes its living by burrowing into the subcutaneous tissues of horses. The resulting skin nodules bleed often, sometimes copiously, giving rise to a something veterinarians call “summer bleeding.”
Over 2,100 years ago two Chinese armies traveled 10,000 km to find "Heavenly Horses" or Ferghana horses, apparently infected with a tiny worm causing them to "sweat blood" from skin sores:
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Wikipedia