Life Cycle of Capillaria Caudinflata, a Nematode Parasite of the Common Fowl Neal Francis Morehouse Iowa State College
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Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Retrospective Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 1942 Life cycle of Capillaria caudinflata, a nematode parasite of the common fowl Neal Francis Morehouse Iowa State College Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd Part of the Zoology Commons Recommended Citation Morehouse, Neal Francis, "Life cycle of Capillaria caudinflata, a nematode parasite of the common fowl " (1942). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 13732. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/13732 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Retrospective Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. NOTE TO USERS This reproduction is the best copy available. UMI Llfl CYCLE Of G1PILLA.RIA OAUDIMfLATA, A mfilTODE PAMSITI Of THS OOiildON FOWL by M@al franols Morehouse A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty for the Degree of DOCTOR Of PHILOSOPffif Major Siibjeot: Zoology Approved: Signature was redacted for privacy. la Charge of Major Work Signature was redacted for privacy. •• " -jor Department Signature was redacted for privacy. aa of CSraduate Colle Iowa State College 194g UMI Number: DP12866 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI UMI Microform DP12866 Copyright 2005 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 TABLE OF GOKTIfiNTS Page I. IWf RODUGTION. 1 A. Purpose of the Study 4 II. miW 01 LITERaTURS.. 5 III. IXPKHIMJiaiTAL 23 Material and Methods 23 B. The Geographioal Distribution of Capillarida of the Lower Digestive Tract 25 C. Life-Cyole 28 1. The exogenous development of uapillaria P 7 oaudinflata. 28 a, The ^bryooation of the ova......... 32 3^ (1) The effect of environmental factors on eggs of G. oaudin* flata T 36 (aj The effect of high teiaper- ^3 ature on unembryonated eggs 35 (b) The effect of low temper ature on unembryonated eggs 38 (c) The effect of low temper ature on ej^ryonated eggs of £. oaudinflata......... 41 (d) The"effeot of out-door winter temperature upon embryonated and unembry onated Capillaria oaudin flata eggs 43 (e) The eifect of fonaaldehyde on unembryonated eggs..... 45 2. iSzperiments on the transmission of Capillaria oaudinflata to chickens....«• 46 a. Experiments on the direct truns- nission of C. oaudinflata to chickens 46 b. Experiments on the transmission of £• os^u<ii^iflata by various inter mediate hosts.... 57 (1) Grasshoppers.• 57 ii -f 7 ^ ^ Page (2) Beetles 60 (3) other Arthropods.. 62 (4) Natural transuiisslon experi ment. 63 (5) ©ie transmission of C. oaiMin flate to chickens by~earth- vorms.......... 65 3, ^e endogenous development of £. oaudinflata. 7......... 74 a. Lengthof developmental periods 74 (1) A method for detenaining maturity in C. caudinflata embryos 74 (2) Period of embryonation. 76 (3) Developmental period in the earthworm 77 (4) Developmental period in the ohioicen........................ 80 b« Description of developmental stages. 81 (1) The embryo 81 iZ) Larva found in the earthworm.«. 84 {3} Larvae found in the chicken...* 86 (4) Adults fr(»a chickens.95 0. The location of £. caudinflata in the digestive tract of chickens and turkeys. 99 D. Observations Concerning Host'^Specificity in 0. caudinflata. 102 1."General considerations 102 2. Transmission to turkeys.104 3. Tranaiaission to the English sparrow...•• 105 £. Observations on the Longevity of C* caudln-' flata. 7.. 109 J, kjqperiments on the Transiixission of C. caudin flata by Species of Sarthworms Other Than (A.) caliglnosus. Ill G. Observations Goacerning Capillaria retusa... 112 IV. DISCUSSION OF RESULTS 114 y. GOMCLUSIONS. 125 TI. LITSHATURS CITED 128 VII. ACKNOWLSDGMSiras. 133 iii -1- INTRODUCTION Post-mortem examination of the digestive tracts of several speoimens of the oommon fovl, Gallus doaestious. received at Charles City, Iowa, revealed the presence of aifflierous nematodes of the genus Oapillaria. A few of the worms, sent to the Bureau of Animal Industry, Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C., in 193@ were identified by Dr. B, K. Wehr as Oapillaria caudlnflata. On subsequent examination of other chickens received tTom various parts of the country, it was observed that infesta" tion with oapillaria worms was commonly associated with severe enteritis, diarrhea and emaciation. Since these worms appeared to be of considerable economic importanoe, an inyestigatioQ of oapillaria viorms in chickens was de sirable. Preliminary geographical distribution studies indicated that Oapillaria caudinflata was by far the most prevalent species in the middle west and that an investi gation of capillariasis in this region would be chiefly an investigation of Oapillaria caudinflata. A survey of the literature ooncaruiug this capillarid showed that nothing had been reported on its occurrence iu the United States; that much of the existing literature reported in other countries was inaccurate or confusing; and that nothing «as known of the method whereby the parasite is transmitted froa one fowl to another or of the envlronisental factors whioh might Influence such transmission. Furthermore, inquiry sent to the Chief of the ^ologioal Division of the Bureau of Animal Industry revealed that research workers of that division had done no work on the life-history of £• osLUdinflata. Thus the life-history of this nematode appeared to be an important heIminthological p^roblem remaior ing untouched by other parasitologists* Early in November, 192^, the writer began an investigation of the life-history together with other related factors. Having obtained considerable evidence of the transmission of 0. caudinflata by earthworms of the species Helodrilus oallgii«>sus. the writer sent specimens of these earthworms to the Zoological Division, Bureau of Animal Industry, on March S7, 1942 requesting confirmation of the earthworm species and confiding the information that data had been obtained showing triat earthworms in the vicinity of Charles City, Iowa serve as intermediate hosts for one of the important parasites of poultry. Beceipt of these earthworms was promptly acknowl edged by Dr. Price and later by a letter from Dr. Wehr. Just as the discussion and conclusions of this paper were being written, preparatory to its submission to the graduate faculty as a doctoral thesis, a note by H. W. Allen and 1. £. Wehr (194S} entitled, '^Earthworms as possible Intermediate 3— hosts of Capillarla oaudlnflata of the ohioken aad turkey" appeared in the Proceedings of the Helminthologioal Society of Washington. These authors a^jparently shoired that C. oaud- infXata aay be transmitted through earthworms to chickens and turkeys, aithough their experiments were not controlled and therefore failed to prove that the earthiioniis served as true Intermediate hosts. According to the note by Allen and Wehr, all results of their experiments were obtained subsequent to March 27, 1942. It appears that ti^uise investigators had no evidence of trana~ mission until April 18, 1942, whereas experiments reported in this paper show that the writer had obtained evidence of transmission to chickens some 5 months before these investi gators began their experiments. It should be further noted that the writer had transmitted G. caudinflate to turkeys about 2 weeks earlier than the date recorded by Allen and Wehr. Prior to 1936, no capillarids were known to require in termediate hosts. Capillaria columbae (Hudolphi,. 1819), probably the most wiaely a?eoognized species found in chickens, was known to have a direct life-cycle. This is also true of Qapillaria contorta (Creplin, ia39), a parasite of the u^jper digestive tract of many species of birds and of C?apillaria hepatica (ifell, 1916), a parasite of rats, rabbits and man. Fiirthermore, a direct life-cycle was known for the human whip- worm, Trichuris trichiura (Linnaeus, 1771), a parasite closely «4-> related to the oaplllarids. Consequently It «as generally supposed that the various oapillarld speoles have direct life" eyoles. Howefer, Wehr (1936) showed that the orop-wom of chickens, Gaplllaria annulate (llolin, 1856)» may be transmitted by certain speoles of earthworms, thus suggesting the possibil ity that other capillarida may also require intenaedlate hosts. A. Piirpose of the Study It Is the purpose of this study to review the work of previous investigators who have dealt with Gaplllaria caudln- flata (Molin, 1856); to study its geographical distribution in the United States; and to determine its life-cycle. Consid erable emphasis is placed on the reaction of the ova, during their exogenous development, to environmental conditions, since a better knowledge of these factors may lead