Toxocara pteropodis and visceral Larva migrans.
The life cycle of Toxocara pteropodis is only the second in the genus to have been elucidated in detail as a result of its suspected role in an epidemic of human disease. Transmission of this species of nematode is not only faecal but also tronsmommory, and the third-stage larvae demonstrate a remarkable affinity for the host's liver. Experimental infections in primates indicate it is not likely to be a human pathogen, and a reappraisal of the original epidemic has provided an unusual alternative explanation.
Department of Parasitology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4067, Australia.
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