Most species utilize insects such as crickets, cockroaches, and beetles as intermediate hosts.[9] Several species of Physaloptera can be parasites of primates and man.[10][11] This rare disease is known as spiruridiasis.
Human infection is considered to be ancient; eggs of Physaloptera sp. were found in a grave of the Bronze Age in Iran.[9]
Petri, Leo H. (September 1950). "Life Cycle of Physaloptera rara Hall and Wigdor, 1918 (Nematoda: Spiruroidea) with the Cockroach, Blatella germanica, Serving as the Intermediate Host". Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science. 53 (3): 331–337. doi:10.2307/3626145. JSTOR3626145.
Lleras, Andres Soriano; Pan, Chiatung (1955). "Two cases of Physaloptera infection in man from Colombia". The Journal of Parasitology. 41 (6): 635. doi:10.2307/3274147. ISSN0022-3395. JSTOR3274147.
Kinsella, J.M. (1974). "Comparison of helminth parasites of the cotton rat, Sigmodon hispidus, from several habitats in Florida". American Museum Novitates (2540): 1–12. hdl:2246/2742.
Kinsella, J.M. 1988. Comparison of helminths of rice rats, Oryzomys palustris, from freshwater and saltwater marshes in Florida. Proceedings of the Helminthological Society of Washington 55(2):275–280.
Mirzayans, A (1971). "Incidence of gastrointestinal helminths of domestic cats in the Teheran area of Iran". The Journal of Parasitology. 57 (6): 1296. doi:10.2307/3277984. JSTOR3277984. PMID5157163.
Muniz-Pereira, L.C.; Vieira, F.M.; Luque, J.L. (2009). "Checklist of helminth parasites of threatened vertebrate species from Brazil". Zootaxa. 2123: 1–45. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2123.1.1.