Proc. Helminthol. Soc. Wash. 50(2), 1983, p. 332

Research Note grusi (Nematoda: Tetrameridae) from Foster-Raised Whooping Crane

A juvenile whooping crane (Grus americand) that had been raised by greater sandhill crane (Grus canadensis tabidd) foster parents was attacked and killed by a golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) southwest of Rangely, Colorado (Windingstad et al., 1981, Auk 98:393-394). Since 1975, whooping crane eggs have been placed in the nests of sandhill cranes in an effort to increase the population of this endangered . This was hatched at Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Idaho and was attacked while migrating to wintering grounds in New Mexico. The bird was sent to the National Wildlife Health Laboratory for a detailed necropsy. A parasitological examination of the gastrointestinal tract revealed a heavy infection in the glands of the proventriculus. The were subsequently identified as Tetrameres grusi Shumakovich, 1946; 86 females were removed from the glands and one male was found in the lumen. No other gas- trointestinal parasites were observed. A histological examination showed that T. grusi males and females were present in the proventricular glands. A small amount of pressure atrophy was seen associated with gravid females, but there was no inflammatory response. Tetrameres spp. in other bird species are usually group-specific and light in- fections generally do not cause damage to the proventriculus. The effect of heavy infections is relatively unknown for most wildlife species. Although T. grusi has been reported from sandhill cranes collected in Florida (Bush et al., 1973, J. Parasitol. 59:788-792), this is the first report of this species in whooping cranes. On one occasion, female Tetrameres were removed from the proventriculus of a captive whooping crane during necropsy, but the species identification could not be determined. Representative specimens of T. grusi were deposited in the USNM Helminth Collection, Beltsville, Maryland 20705 (No. 77010). The biological significance of this observation, or lack of it, cannot be deter- mined from this one case, however it illustrates the need for greater understanding of host-parasite relationships, in a broad sense, and suggests the need for addi- tional studies in that area when contemplating wildlife transplants. BENJAMIN N. TUGGLE National Wildlife Health Laboratory 6006 Schroeder Road Madison, Wisconsin 53711

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