Infections of the skin

A surprisongly large number of lions in the KNP suffer from cutaneous dirofilariosis, cause by the filarid nematode Dirofilaria sudanensis. Clinically it manifests as a large soft lump under the skin, but does not seem to cause much discomfort. The nematode is an extremely long one that lies curled up in the subcutis.

Fig. 33: Dirofilaria sudanensis from the subcutis of a lion.