Meningeal worm is a relatively common condition in camelids in the Eastern United States. Nearly one third of cases presented at The Ohio State University between 1993 and 2003 for neurological signs were diagnosed with meningeal worm. It is caused bythe nematode parasite Parelaphostrongylus tennis whose definitive host is the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). When camelids ingest infected molluscs (the intermediate host), aberrant migration in the CNS causes neurological signs. Experimental infection of 6 llamas with the parasite caused clinical signs of meningeal worm 45-53 days post-inoculation.
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