Toxascaris leonina

An ascarid nematode of the dog that differs from Toxocara in that the larvae do not migrate through the lungs; the entire developmental cycle occurs in the gut. This parasite has been found in humans in a few instances and is a cause of visceral larva migrans in children, though less frequently implicated than is Toxocara canis. [G. toxon, bow, + Ascaris]

* * *

a species found commonly in large felines such as lions and tigers, and in domestic dogs and cats, especially older ones. Its larvae differ from those of Toxocara canis and T. cati by not passing through the lungs of the infected animal.