Linguatula serrata is a tongue-shaped parasite that infects carnivores or insectivorous reptile as final host and herbivores as intermediate ones. During necropsy of a 1.5-year-old female stray cat, a few white and fine nodules were observed on the diaphragmatic lobes of the lung. In histopathological examination, the nodules contained a turned spinosum parasite with cuticular spines and in par...

Many trophically-transmitted parasite larvae actively manipulate their intermediate host behaviour in ways increasing its transmission probabilities to the next host in their life cycle. Only stages infective for the next host alter host behaviour in such a way. Before reaching infectivity, parasite larvae grow into several larval stages in the intermediate host, all being non-infective for the...