Dictyocaulus worms have a direct life cycle, i.e. there are no intermediate hosts involved. Adult females lay eggs in the airways of infected hosts. These eggs are transported to the pharynx within respiratory secretions. From the pharynx these eggs are coughed out, into the mouth to be swallowed or directly to the outside. Those that are swallowed release the L1 larvae in the gut, which are shed in the feces.
Once in the environment, L1-larvae develop to infective L3 larvae in about 1 week. These larvae show a low motility and remain close to the droppings. However, Dictyocaulus viviparus larvae often live on a fungus called Pilobolus that grows on cattle dung. When a Pilobolus sporangium bursts to expel the spores, Dictyocaulus larvae are projected up to 30 cm away from the droppings. Infective larvae are susceptible to dryness and usually they do not survive longer than about 1 month on pasture.
Livestock becomes infected mainly while grazing, but infection can also happen indoors through contaminated hay or bedding. Once ingested and in the host's gut infective larvae penetrate into the gut's wall and reach the lymphatic nodules where the molt to L4 larvae. Through the thoracic duct and the jugular vein they reach the heart and are pumped to the lungs. Once in the lungs they are stopped in the lung capillaries, cross their wall and reach the bronchioles, bronchi or the trachea where they complete development to adult worms.
The prepatent period (time between infection and first larvae shed with the feces) lasts about 4-5 weeks. However, larvae in the lungs may become arrested (dormant, hypobiotic, inhibited) for up to 5 months. These larvae resume development at early spring and re-infect the pastures during the next season.