[Parafilariasis: a new parasitic disease of cattle in The Netherlands]. / Parafilariose, een nieuwe parasitaire ziekte bij het rund in Nederland.

In March 2007, cutaneous nodules were observed on the neck, shoulder and back of a breeding bull imported from France in November 2006. The nodules opened spontaneously and produced a haemorrhagic exudate. The cause was Parafilaria bovicola, a filariid nematode not endemic to The Netherlands. The worm can cause substantial economic loss because of the need to trim carcasses and because of the diminished value of hides. The infection is spread by the fly Musca autumnalis, which is common in The Netherlands. Because treatment does not stop the infection from spreading, the bull was culled to prevent the risk of infection of the national herd. To our knowledge, this is the first case of Parafilaria bovicola in The Netherlands.