Influence of desiccation of faeces on survival and infectivity of first-stage larvae of Muellerius capillaris and Neostrongylus linearis.

First-stage larvae of pure strains of M. capillaris and N. linearis (Nematoda: Protostrongylidae) from goats were used to assess the influence of rapid desiccation on survival. M. capillaris survived desiccation of faeces better than N. linearis. The latter species was particularly susceptible to duration of storage after desiccation (0 to 10 days). Surviving larvae of desiccated batches of M. capillaris were less able to infect the land-snail Candidula intersecta. Resistance of first-stage larvae to desiccation is a key factor in infectivity and may partly account for the geographical distribution of the two species of protostrongylids.