Helminths of Some Wild Mammals in the Southeastern United States1 GROVER C
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118 PROCEEDINGS OF THE HELMINTHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Table 1. Efficacy of 0.5% thiabendazole-medicated mash for the removal of Ascaridia columbae from pigeons. Parasites Number Treatment of period No. removed No. recovered Efficacy Trial pigeons (days) at necropsy ( per cent ) 1 19 8 669 8* 99 2 15 9 318 62f 84 3 8 10 258 0 100 4 15 13 282 0 100 Total or average 57 1,527 70 96 Worms recovered from one bird only. Worms recovered from five birds (47 from one bird). Literature Cited Hwang, J. C., D. K. McLoughlin, and E. E. Wehr. 1958. Removal of ascarids from Brown, H. D. 1961. 2-(4'Thiazolyl)-benzimida- zole (thiabendazole)—a new anthelmintic. pigeons. Vet. Med. 53: 263-264. Abstr. of Papers, 140th Mtg. Am. Chem. Soc., Levi, W. M. 1957. The pigeon. Levi Publish- Chicago, Illinois: 28-30. ing Co., Inc., Sumter, South Carolina: pp. Iv Colglazier, M. L., A. O. Foster, F. D. Enzie, and + 667. D. E. Thompson. 1960. The anthelmintic Long, P. L., and D. Wakelin. 1964. The ef- action of phenothiazine and piperazine against fects of thiabendazole upon experimental in- Heterakis gallinae and Ascaridia galli in chick- festations of Ascaridia galli and Capillaria ens. J. Parasit. 46: 267-270. obsignata in the chicken. British Poultry Sci. Cuckler, A. C. 1961. Thiabendazole: a new 5: 187-192. broad spectrum anthelmintic. J. Parasit. 47 Shumard, R. F., and D. F. Eveleth. 1955. A (SuppL): 36-37. Horton-Smith, C., and P. L. Long. 1956. The preliminary report on the anthelmintic action anthelmintic effect of three piperazine deriva- of piperazine citrate on Ascaridia galli and tives on Ascaridia galli (Schrank 1788). Poul- Heterakis gallinae in hens. Vet. Med. 50: try Sci. 35: 606-614. 203-205. Helminths of Some Wild Mammals in the Southeastern United States1 GROVER C. MILLER AND REINARD HARKEMA Zoology Department, North Carolina State University at Raleigh During our studies in recent years, some When possible, host animals were obtained local native wild mammals have been exam- alive from trappers during the regular trapping ined for helminthic parasites. Some of these season, but some were shot and others drowned studies have been published including infor- in traps so that immediate examination was mation on helminths of the raccoon (Harkema not always possible. All animals, however, and Miller, 1964) and the mink (Miller and were examined as soon as possible after cap- Harkema, 1964). Information is presented ture. The trematodes, cestodes, and acantho- here on a limited number of four additional cephalans were killed and fixed in AFA (al- species of animals: the otter, Lutra canadensis; cohol, formalin, and acetic acid), stained and bobcat, Lynx rujus; grey fox, Urocyon cine- mounted for further study. The nematodes reoargenteiis; and red fox, Vulpes fulva. were killed in hot 70 per cent alcohol and stored in glycerin alcohol. Large nematodes 1 Supported in part by research grant AI05927 from the National Institutes of Health, U. S. Public Health Service. were cleared in lacto-phenol. Copyright © 2011, The Helminthological Society of Washington OF WASHINGTON, VOLUME 35, NUMBER 2, JULY 1968 119 Table 1. Incidence of helminths in 20 otters from the National Museum as USNM Helm. Coll. North Carolina. No. 57415. Species of parasite Number infected Enhydridiplostomum alarioides (Dubois, 1937) was the only other trematode found in Trematoda Btischkirovitrema incrassatum (Diesing, 1850) 14 the otter. It occurred in 7 of 20 hosts and EnhydridvplostomuTn alarioides (Dubois, 1937) 7 varied from 1 to 400 per host. This species Nematoda was reported from the mink, Mustela vison, in Capillaria plica (Rudolphi, 1819) 5 North Carolina by Miller and Harkema (1964). Crenosoma goblei Dougherty, 1945 1 Specimens were collected by Pearson in 1951 Gnathostonia miyazakii Anderson, 1964 4 from the otter in Chapleau, Ontario and catalogued as USNM Helm. Coll. No. 49045. Results and Discussion Permission was obtained from the Museum to stain and mount these for detailed study. Our Twenty-eight speeies of helminths were re- forms agree in all respects. Sawyer (1961) covered from 65 mammals. These are dis- published the first report of this parasite in cussed in relation to the four species of hosts the United States. The type specimen of because most of the parasites encountered EnJujdridiplostomiim fosteri (Mclntosh, 1940) appeared to be fairly host specific. also was compared, and we agree that it is a distinct and separate species. Specimens from Lutra canadensis North Carolina have been deposited as USNM (Table 1) Helm. Coll. No. 57429. Twenty otters were collected from eight Capillaria plica (Rudolphi, 1819) was one of counties in North Carolina in the vicinity of three nematocles collected from the otter. It oc- the Northeast Cape Fear River. About one- curred in 5 of 20 hosts and ranged from 1 to 30 third was from coastal counties, but there per host. The urinary bladders of the raccoon, appeared to be no apparent differences in the bobcat, and foxes also contained this parasite. helminths in hosts from coastal areas versus Crenosoma goblei Dougherty, 1945, was re- those from inland, habitats. Two trematocle covered from the respiratory tract of one host. and three nematode species were collected Only one specimen, a female, was found, and, from the otter. therefore, the specific identification is uncertain. Baschkirovitrema incrassatum (Diesing, 1850) Gnatliostoma miyazakii Anderson, 1964, was was the most common trematocle found in the recovered from the kidneys of four otters. otter. It was present in 14 of the 20 hosts These hosts were from counties adjacent to and varied in number from 1 to 89 per host. the Northeast Cape Fear River. The total The measurements of our specimens compare number of parasites was difficult to ascertain favorably with those of Beverley-Burton (1960). because it was practically impossible to remove This form is found in various species of otters an intact worm from the fibrous tissue of the from several parts of the world including Brazil kidney. Sufficient material was available, (Diesing, 1850), the Sudan (Myers, Wolf- however, to confirm the identity of this species. gang, and Kuntz, 1960), and Southern Rho- The unusual location of these mature gnatho- desia (Beverley-Burton, 1960). More recently stomes invites additional investigation. This is Miller and Harkema (1964) reported the mink apparently the first record of this nematode in in North Carolina as a new host. Specimens the United States. The only other gnatho- from the otter in New York deposited in the stome reported in mustelids in North America National Museum by W. J. Hamilton in 1953 is Gnathostonia sociale (Leidy, 1858). The and. additional specimens from Georgia col- latter species was reclescribed and compared lected by McKeever and Sawyer in 1955 were with G. miyazakii by Anderson (1964). obtained on loan through the courtesy of Dr. Allen Mclntosh and compared with our speci- Lynx rufus mens. All are similar. The only other record (Table 2) of this trematocle in the United States is that Helminths were recovered from 16 bobcats, of Sawyer (1961) from the otter in Georgia. 12 hosts were from counties in eastern North Two of our specimens have been deposited in Carolina and four from two counties in South Copyright © 2011, The Helminthological Society of Washington 120 PROCEEDINGS OF THE HELMINTHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Table 2. Incidence of helminths in 16 bobcats was one of four species of cestodes recovered from North Carolina and South Carolina. from the bobcat. It was present in 12 of the Species of parasite Number infected .1.6 hosts from both coastal and inland habitats, though more prevalent in hosts from coastal Trematoda regions. It is interesting that both adults and Alaria canis LaRuc and Fallis, 1936 5 spargana were not found in the same host even Paragonimns rudis (Diesing, 1850) 1 though often present in the raccoon and grey Cestoda fox. It is known that young kittens can be Spirometra mansonoides (Mueller, 1935) 12 infected with spargana by feeding them in- Mesocestoides variabilis Mueller, 1927 1 Taenia macrocystis Diesing, 1850 12 fected copepods. An excellent summary on Taenia rilcyi Loewen,1929 4 the biology of S. mansonoides was recently Acanthocephal a presented by Mueller (1966). Centrorhynchus sp. 1 Mesocestoides variabilis Mueller, 1927, was recovered from only one host taken from Nematoda Fender County, North Carolina. These speci- Toxocaramystax (Zecler, 1800) 12 Ancylostoma caninum (Ercolani, 1859 ) 5 mens were stained and compared with the Ancylostoma braziliense Gomez de Faria, 1910 3 descriptions of Voge (1955). Except for minor Capillaria plica (Rudolphi, 1819) 2 differences they compare favorably. The Anafilaroides rostrata Gerichter, 1949 2 specific identification of members of the genus Molineus barbatus Chandler, 1942 6 Dirofilaria striata (Molin, 1858 ) 2 Mesocestoides is difficult. The genus was reviewed by Voge (1955) who regarded both Mesocestoides manteri Chandler, 1942, and Carolina. Thirteen species of helminths were M. variabilis as synonyms of Mesocestoides recovered including two trematodes, four corti Hoeppli, 1925. cestodes, one acanthocephalan, and seven Taenia macrocystis Diesing, 1850, was one nematodes. of two taenioids found in the bobcat. It was Alaria canis LaRue and Fallis, 1936, was present in 12 of 16 hosts ranging from 2 to 48 recovered from five hosts, all of which were specimens per host. In two hosts from South collected in Brunswick County, North Caro- Carolina and two coastal North Carolina speci- lina. The number of worms varied from 1 to mens there was a mixed infection of T. macro- 159 per host. Pearson (1956) gave a thorough cystis and T. rileiji Loewen, 1929 (see below). description of the life cycle of A. canis and Members of the cestode genus Taenia include also the first report of its presence in bobcats. a number of closely allied species, many of Most of the specimens in the bobcat are which are poorly defined and consequently smaller than the ones recovered from the foxes difficult to identify.