Amidostomum

Amidostomum spp.
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Nematoda
Class	Secernentea
Order	Strongylida
Super-family	Trichostrongyloidea
Family	Amidostomatidae
Genus	Amidostomum
Species	A. anseris, A. skrjabini

Overview

These species are a common cause of mortality in ornamental ducks and so may be seen in small animal practice. They are also found in the wild populations of many species of waterfowl.

Amidostomum anseris

This is a gizzard worm of aquatic fowl, most commonly of geese and ducks, found throughout the world. It is a member of the Trichostrongyloid family and has a life cycle typical of this family. These worms and larvae are found beneath the lining of the gizzard.

Identification

Adult worms are slender and bright red in colour, and as with most nematodes the females are larger then the males reaching 15 - 25mm. The worms are characterised by the presence of a shallow buccal capsule with three pointed teeth of which the middle tooth is the largest.

Amidostomum skrjabini

This species is similar to A. anseris above in appearance. The major host for this nematode are both domestic and wild duck species and it can be found worldwide. The main defining feature of this species is the requirement for hatched L3 larvae to exist for about 5 days in the environment before being fully infectious.