Thelazia callipaeda (Spirurida, Thelaziidae) is a vectorborne, zoonotic nematode capable of infecting a range of mammalian host species including dogs, cats and human beings, as well as several sylvatic species.1 The risks of introducing such parasitic agents to the UK posed by importation and/or travel of dogs abroad have been raised and illustrated on multiple occasions,2–4 while widespread media reports of large-scale illegal importation of dogs to the UK are clearly also of concern.
