INTESTINAL PARASITES IN SWINE. 



Balantidium coli, a ciliated infusorian with rapid movements, terminal 

 mouth. Seem harmless to swine, though smaller form hurtful to man. 

 Trichomonas Intestinalis, an infusorian with 4 or 5 anterior flagellse ; seems 

 harmless. Cestodes ; Trematodes ; Echinorhynchus Gig as : Narrowed to 

 tail ; protractile proboscis with recurved hooks, which it sinks in mucosa. 

 Ovum passed in faeces, swallowed by larva of May beetle, the cockchafer, or 

 a snail, helix pomatia, helix hortensis, limax maximus, arion rufus ; these 

 are eaten by the pig and the parasite matures in its small intestine. Found 

 with hooked proboscis in mucosa ; common in herds in fields ; Europe, 

 America. Cause nodules, pits, congestions, infections, colics, etc. Treat- 

 ment : Vermifuges. Prevention : Keep in-doors, or in pens, away from in- 

 fected invertebrates. > Ascaris Suilla : Like ascaris of man ; in small intes- 

 tines, stomach, gall-ducts Causes indigestion, colic, emaciation, vomiting, 

 watery diarrhoea, obstructed bowels, biliousness, jaundice, stupor, vertigo. 

 Treatm.ent, Prevention. CEsophagastom.a Dentatum. : Narrowed ends, wide 

 mouth with six papillae and bristles ; in large and small intestines of pigs 

 and pecari ; treat by vermifuges. Globocephalus Longimucronatus .• 7 to 8 

 mm. long ; in small intestine ; pig. Trichocephalus Crenatus : Held iden- 

 tical with whip-worm of man ; spiculum more spinous ; in large intestine ; 

 head and neck buried in mucosa. May cause a plague, indigestion, colic, 

 diarrhoea, emaciation ; treat by vermifuges. Trichina Spiralis : Mature in 

 intestines. Anguillula Suis : Apparently harmless. 



Protozoa. The one protozoan which has been recognized in 

 the intestines of the pig and which is pathogenic (at least to man) 

 is the Balantidium Coli. 



Balantidium Coli (balantidion a little pouch). Paramcecium 

 Coli. A ciliated infusorian parasite 70/* to 100 /a long by 50> to 

 70 ;«. broad. It is an ovoid organism, with terminal mouth, and 

 completely covered by fine short cilia by which it effects rapid 

 movements. The delicate external membrane is striated longi- 

 tudinally, and the central granular matter and protoplasm contain 

 an ovoid nucleus and several contractile vesicles. Reproduction 

 may follow the conjugation of two individuals and occurs by 

 transverse fis.sion. 



Leuckart (1863) found this in the colon and rectum of pigs in 

 Saxony, and since then it has been proved to be common in 

 Sweden, Russia, Paris and Toulouse. By the aid of a hand lens 

 the infusoria are seen as minute white spots moving in the mucus 

 and feculent matters drawn from the rectum. 

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