Angiostrongylus vasorum is a type of

• A. Roundworm
• B. Lungworm
• C. Tapeworm
• D. Fluke

Answer: (B)

Angiostrongylus vasorum is best described as a lungworm because its adults inhabit the pulmonary arteries and right heart, and the parasite’s life cycle involves migration through the lungs, producing respiratory signs. While it is a nematode (roundworm) by taxonomy, the clinical label that fits its biology and disease pattern is lungworm, not a tapeworm or fluke. Tapeworms and flukes are flatworms with different lifestyles and sites of infection, whereas this parasite centers on the lungs and surrounding vessels. Understanding its site of infection explains why coughing, respiratory distress, and related signs occur, and why diagnoses often focus on detecting larval stages in feces using methods like the Baermann test.