First report on Parafilaria bovicola (Nematoda: Filaroidea) in Germany

From September 2008 to April 2009 several cases of spontaneous bleeding and nodules from the back and withers area of cattle otherwise considered as healthy have been reported from several farms in south-western and southern Germany. Successive investigation of these cases gave strong evidence of Parafilaria (P.) bovicola infections due to their seasonal occurrence and specific pathological lesions. There was no history of animal import from endemic countries for the affected cattle herds. In one case, a nodule containing nematode fragments and an intact female nematode were recovered from a slaughtered White Galloway bull. This sample was identified as P. bovicola and is the first report of bovine parafilariosis in Germany.