Parasites of the Respiratory System of Goats

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Goats are susceptible to a variety of respiratory illnesses. Lungworms primarily affect young goats with severe parasitic bronchitis. Coughing, dyspnoea, nasal discharge, weight loss, lethargy, and occasionally fever are some of the symptoms that may be present in animals infected with lungworms. This chapter will deal with parasitic cestodes, nematodes, and arthropods affecting the goats' respiratory systems. Here, parasites have been described according to the region of the respiratory system they affect. Parasitic nematodes such as Dictyocaulus and Protostrongylus commonly infect the trachea and bronchi, Muellerius spp. and metacestode stages of Echinococcus granulosus infest the lung parenchyma, while larvae of the dipteran fly Oestrus ovis infest the nasal passages. The symptoms of pulmonary parasitic diseases can be made worse by secondary bacterial or viral infections, which can lead to bronchitis, bronchiolitis, or pneumonia.