Parasites of Caribou: Fly Larvae Infestations

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Parasites of Caribou: Fly Larvae Infestations Links For more information, please contact your Regional Veterinarian, your local Department of Environment and Conservation Officer or the Animal Health Conservation: Division. www.env.gov.nl.ca/env/ Parasites of Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Center Caribou: Other information pamphlets are www.ccwhc.ca available online from the Department of Fly Larvae Natural Resources at: Photo Credits www.nr.gov.nl.ca/agric/ Infestations (Figures 1-3) Dr. Murray Lankester Publication: DS 04-008 Last Revised: March 2010 Department of Natural Resources Animal Health Division P.O. Box 7400 St. John's, NL A1E 3Y5 t 709.729.6879 f 709.729.0055 [email protected] Introduction larvae’s life, they are about the size of a The infestation usually does no harm Throat Bots small grain of rice and are almost to them other than annoyance and is not All wild animals carry diseases. In transparent. They may be seen on the considered to have any public health The second larvae of interest is some cases, these might be of concern if surface of the muscles or under the skin. significance. The hides of animals that have the throat or nose bot (Cephenemyia they can spread to humans or domestic been affected can often have 100's of trompe). Its life cycle starts with the animals. In other cases, they might be of Through the winter and into the holes or scars in them from the emerging female fly laying larvae on the face of interest if they impact on the health of spring, they continue their migration up to larvae and therefore have minimal value for the caribou around the nostrils. Unlike our wild herds, or simply because the the spine and rump of the animal where leather. the warble fly, in the case of the bot, signs of the disease have been noticed they cut a breathing hole through the skin. there is no egg laid, it is actually a and you want to know more. This infestation is not considered to larvae (maggot) that leaves the female. This pamphlet is one of a series By early summer, the warbles are affect other animals. Cattle often have These larvae then crawl into the mouth produced on the common diseases of about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long and are ready to warble flies of their own, but these are of a and into the caribou’s nasal sinuses and caribou, and it covers the larval form of emerge from the back. They then fall to the different species. back of the throat where they spend the two different flies commonly seen in this ground and pupate. From the pupae winter. In heavy infections, there may be province. Neither of these are a cause of emerges the adult fly that only lives long well over 50 of these larvae occupying public health concern. enough to mate and lay its eggs on another these cavities. This can cause caribou. The adult lives such a short time suffocation of the animal in extreme cases, as well as varying degrees of Fly Larvae Infestations that it doesn’t even have mouth parts to feed. local reaction and pneumonia. Warbles and throat bots are common names for the larvae of two The growth and emergence of the In the spring, the larvae detach types of flies that can be found in the larvae and the buzzing of the adults around themselves from their host and leave carcasses of caribou in this province. the caribou as they try to lay their eggs can through the nostrils where they fall to Many people who hunt these animals be very annoying to the animal. At this time the ground. This can cause a lot of may be familiar with their appearance. of year, they may appear agitated and are Figure 2: Warble fly larvae emerging distress to the caribou, including sometimes seen jumping around to avoid from back. snorting and sneezing as they block and Warbles the irritation. irritate the nostrils. Once on the ground, the larvae pupate and develop into an Warbles are the larvae of the adult. In the fall, the adults again swarm warble fly (Hypoderma tarandi), which around the caribou to lay more larvae lays its eggs on the hair of the caribou’s on their faces. This swarming legs and lower body in mid-summer. accompanied by loud buzzing can be Once the eggs hatch, the larvae very disturbing to the caribou, causing (maggots) penetrate the skin of the them to run around and at times lose caribou and start a long migration condition if they stop feeding. towards the animal’s back. Hunters may see signs of these migrating larvae in the fall when skinning Figure 1: Warble fly pupa and adult. Figure 3: Bots in the throat of a caribou. out an animal. At this early part of the .
Recommended publications
  • Disease Factsheet: Warble
    Livestock Notifiable Disease Factsheets Warble Fly If you suspect signs of any notifiable disease, you must immediately notify a Defra Divisional Veterinary Manager. Introduction The warble fly is an insect, which parasitically infects cattle. Animals usually affected are Cattle although horses and deer can be affected. History and spread of the disease Around thirty years ago the industry was concerned that warble fly infestation was not only causing distress to cattle and financial losses to farmers, but was also ruining hides that would otherwise be used to make items such as coats, bags, and shoes. There were believed to be around 4 million cases of warble fly every year at that time. On 7 February 1978 the MAFF Parliamentary Secretary announced a five-year campaign to eradicate the warble fly. This included an extensive publicity campaign in summer and autumn each year to encourage all farmers with cattle at risk from the fly to treat them as a precaution in the autumn and also to treat any cattle showing visible signs of infestation. Legislation made under the Diseases of Animals Act 1950 required owners of warbled cattle to treat them with a systemic dressing: affected animals could not be moved, even to a slaughterhouse, without first being treated. Veterinary inspectors could compel owners to treat affected cattle. The farming community responded splendidly to this campaign involving both voluntary and compulsory treatment, with the help of market surveys by the State Veterinary Service, the Meat & Livestock Commission and the Hide & Allied Trade Improvement Society. At the end of the five year period the number of outbreaks was down to around 500 a year.
    [Show full text]
  • Inflammatory Reaction to the Human Bot-Fly, Dermatobia Hominis, in Infested and Reinfested Mice
    Medical and Veterinary Entomology (2003) 17, 55±60 Inflammatory reaction to the human bot-fly, Dermatobia hominis, in infested and reinfested mice * E. LELLO and A. M. B. DE ROSIS Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Biocieà ncias, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu and *Departamento de Cieà ncias Biolo gicas, Faculdade de Cieà ncias, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Bauru, SP, Brazil Abstract. Two groups of mice were infested with first stage larvae of the human bot-fly, Dermatobia hominis (Linnaeus Jr) (Diptera: Oestridae). In the first group, skin biopsies were carried out 1, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 18 days after infestation. The second group was also infested but had all the larvae removed 5 days after infestation. The mice in the latter group were reinfested 4 weeks later and skin biopsies were carried out 1, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 18 days after reinfestation. In the first group, an inflammatory reaction began slowly, the neutrophils being the main inflammatory cells, eosinophils being scarce. The reaction progressed with time, developing a necrotic halo around the larvae containing inflammatory cells sur- rounded by fibroblasts. The inflammation invaded the adjacent tissue. In the second group, the inflammatory reaction was intense on the day immediately after reinfestation, the pattern being changed by the presence of a large number of eosinophils. Activated fibroblasts surrounding the necrotic area around the larvae appeared 3 days after reinfestation in the second group and 7 days after infestation in the first group. The results demonstrated that the previous contact with the antigens elicited the early arrival of eosinophils, probably through the chemotactic factors liberated by mast cells in the anaphylactic reaction.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ox Warble Flies
    BULLETIN 428 NOVEMBER, 1928 The Ox Warble Flies Hypoderma bovis de Geer Hypoderma lineatum de Villers Don C. Mote OHIO AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION \Vooster, Ohio CONTENTS Introduction . .. 3 Hosts .............................................................. 4 Effect of the Warble Flies on Man and Animals . .. 5 Economic Importance . .. 8 Distribution . ................................ 10 Biology and Habits . 12 Larvae in the Gullet and Spinal Canal . 19 Emergence of Adults ................................................. 27 Combatting the Warble Flies ......................................... 28 Extracting and Destroying . 28 Larvacides . ............. 31 Fly Repellents, Ovicides . 34 Medicinal Treatment . 35 Natural Immunity ................................................ 35 Protection of Cattle by Housing ................................... 36 H. bovis and H. linea tum Differentiated ................................ 36 The Adult . 37 The Egg ........................................................ 38 The Larvae . 38 The Puparia . 42 Literature Cited .................................................. , . 43 (1) This page intentionally blank. THE OX WARBLE FLIES~· Hypoderma bovis de Geer Hypoderma lineatum de Villers Order, Diptera Family, Oestridae DON C. MOTE INTRODUCTION Domestic cattle in Ohio are subject to attack by two species of warble flies-Hypoderma bovis de Geer and Hypoderma lineatum de Villers. Every cattleman is familiar with grubs that produce the tumors or warbles on the backs of cattle in the spring and nearly
    [Show full text]
  • Reindeer Warble Fly Larvae Found in Red Deer Nilssen, A. C.1
    Reindeer warble fly larvae found in red deer Reinens gorm-larver funnet i hjort Nilssen, A. C.1 & Gjershaug, J. O.2. 1. Zoology Department, Tromsø Museum, N-9000 Tromsø, Norway. 2. Sognli Forsøksgård, N-7320 Fannrem, Norway. Abstract: Seven third instar larvae of the reindeer warble fly (Hypoderma (=Oedemagena) tarandi) were found in a 2-3 year old male red deer {Cervus elaphus) shot on 14 November 1985 at Todalen, western Norway. This it, the first report of H. tarandi from red deer. In reindeer third instar larvae are found from February to June, and the unusual date of this record indicates a delayed development of the larvae due to abnormal host reactions. Warble fly larvae, probably H. tarandi, are also reported from moose {Alces al• ces) in northern Norway. Key words: Oedemagena tarandi, Hypoderma tarandi, Cervus elaphus, Rangifer tarandus, Alces alces, reindeer, caribou, red deer, moose, exotic host, unsuitable host, reindeer warble fly, Norway. Rangifer, 8 (1): 35-37 Introduction and first and second instar larvae also from The warble fly Hypoderma tarandi is endopa- musk ox {Ovibos moschatus) in Canada (Jan- rasitic in reindeer and caribou {Rangifer ta• sen 1970, Alendal and Helle 1983). Nordkvist randus), occurring in most of the holarctic (in Skjenneberg and Slagsvold 1968) reported distribution of the host (Zumpt 1965). The H. tarandi from roe deer {Capreolus capreo• adult females attach eggs to leg and body lus), and this appears to be the only record of hairs. After hatching the larvae penetrate the H. tarandi in a cervid other than reindeer. skin, migrate intermuscularly and complete Here we report H.
    [Show full text]
  • Parasites of Caribou (2): Fly Larvae Infestations
    Publication AP010 July 27, 2004 Wildlife Diseases FACTSHEET Parasites of Caribou (2): Fly Larvae Infestations Introduction All wild animals carry diseases. In some cases these might be of concern if they can spread to humans or domestic animals. In other cases they might be of interest if they impact on the health of our wild herds, or simply because the signs of the disease have been noticed and you want to know more. This factsheet is one of a series produced on the common diseases of caribou and covers the larval form of two different flies commonly seen in this province. Neither of these are a cause of public health Figure 2: Warble fly larvae emerging from back concern. Fly Larvae Infestations Warbles are the larvae of the warble fly (Hypoderma tarandi) which lays its eggs on the hair of Warbles and throat bots are common names for the caribou’s legs and lower body in mid-summer. the larvae of two types of flies that can be found in the Once the eggs hatch, the larvae (maggots) penetrate carcasses of caribou in this province. Many people the skin of the caribou and start a long migration who hunt these animals may be familiar with their towards the animal’s back. appearance. Hunters may see signs of these migrating larvae Warbles in the fall when skinning out an animal. At this early part of the larvae’s life, they are about the size of a small grain of rice and are almost transparent. They may be seen on the surface of the muscles or under the skin.
    [Show full text]
  • Myiasis in Humans and Animals
    Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Veterinary Science Pilot Study ISSN: 2513-9304 Myiasis in humans and animals Vahedi Nouri N1*and Salehi A2 1Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran 2Department of Veterinary Medicine, Babol Islamic Azad University, Iran Abstract Myiasis is the contamination of live or dead tissue of vertebrates via the larvae of various flies. Myiasis occurred both in humans and animals. The myiasis contamination has a worldwide distribution. Different genera of three families which include: Oestridae, calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae have a role in creating myiasis in animals and humans. Myiasis in addition to health problems, can cause a lot of economic problems. Decrease of fly population as a causative of myiasis is one of the important ways to control this contamination. Also, surgical approaches and removing larvae of flies in infected parts, is the other treatment for the contamination. Introduction decaying organic matter and carcasses of animals. The external parasite producing secondary myiasis lives naturally in the form of a detritivore Although Kirby and Spence (1918) for the first time, used the term and usually cannot produce Myiasis but may attack previous living Scholechiasis for infected animals with fly larvae [1], Hoop (1840) used organism secondary [8]. the term Myiasis for many years before that [2]. Myiasis is a Greek word (Myia=Fly) meaning fly, which means the contamination of organs, Accidental myiasis living tissues or dead vertebrates (humans and all kinds of animals) In this type, the larvae of the fly create a random Myiasis and may with fly larvae.
    [Show full text]
  • By Hypoderma Tarandi, Northern
    INTERNATIONAL POLAR YEAR DISPATCHES by Hypoderma spp. is not known. Eyebrows and eyelashes Human have been suggested as possible targets for oviposition (3). Oviposition on human scalp hair has been achieved experi- Ophthalmomyiasis mentally and could be the preferential site in humans (3). An alternative explanation is transfer of the larvae directly Interna Caused from the guard hairs of the caribou to the human eye or skin through close contact with animal pelts. The parasite does by Hypoderma not appear to complete its life cycle in humans (1,2). tarandi, Northern We present the fi rst, to our knowledge, 2 published cases of ophthalmomyiasis interna caused by H. tarandi in Canada Canada. Furthermore, we present the fi rst published use of Hypoderma spp. serologic testing to assist in the diagnosis Philippe R.S. Lagacé-Wiens,* Ravi Dookeran,* of myiasis in humans. Stuart Skinner,* Richard Leicht,* Douglas D. Colwell,† and Terry D. Galloway* The Cases and Literature Review Human myiasis caused by bot fl ies of nonhuman ani- The fi rst patient was a 41-year-old woman from Rankin mals is rare but may be increasing. The treatment of choice Inlet, Nunavut, Canada, who noticed fl oaters (objects in the is laser photocoagulation or vitrectomy with larva removal fi eld of vision that originate in the vitreous) in her right eye and intraocular steroids. Ophthalmomyiasis caused by Hy- in August 2006. Initial funduscopic examination showed poderma spp. should be recognized as a potentially revers- posterior vitreous detachment. Two weeks later, her vision ible cause of vision loss. was more impaired; repeat funduscopy showed panuveitis.
    [Show full text]
  • F. Christian Thompson Neal L. Evenhuis and Curtis W. Sabrosky Bibliography of the Family-Group Names of Diptera
    F. Christian Thompson Neal L. Evenhuis and Curtis W. Sabrosky Bibliography of the Family-Group Names of Diptera Bibliography Thompson, F. C, Evenhuis, N. L. & Sabrosky, C. W. The following bibliography gives full references to 2,982 works cited in the catalog as well as additional ones cited within the bibliography. A concerted effort was made to examine as many of the cited references as possible in order to ensure accurate citation of authorship, date, title, and pagination. References are listed alphabetically by author and chronologically for multiple articles with the same authorship. In cases where more than one article was published by an author(s) in a particular year, a suffix letter follows the year (letters are listed alphabetically according to publication chronology). Authors' names: Names of authors are cited in the bibliography the same as they are in the text for proper association of literature citations with entries in the catalog. Because of the differing treatments of names, especially those containing articles such as "de," "del," "van," "Le," etc., these names are cross-indexed in the bibliography under the various ways in which they may be treated elsewhere. For Russian and other names in Cyrillic and other non-Latin character sets, we follow the spelling used by the authors themselves. Dates of publication: Dating of these works was obtained through various methods in order to obtain as accurate a date of publication as possible for purposes of priority in nomenclature. Dates found in the original works or by outside evidence are placed in brackets after the literature citation.
    [Show full text]
  • Previous Reported Cases
    Br J Ophthalmol: first published as 10.1136/bjo.66.9.589 on 1 September 1982. Downloaded from British Journal ofOphthalmology, 1982, 66, 589-593 Ophthalmomyiasis interna posterior: report of case caused by the reindeer warble fly larva and review of previous reported cases PER SYRDALEN,' TORE NITTER,2 AND REIDAR MEHL3 From the Departments ofOphthalmology, 'Oslo University, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, and 2Tromso University, Tromso, and 3National Institute ofPublic Health, Laboratory ofMedical Entomology SUMMARY A 13-year-old boy from northern Norway had a living reindeer warble fly larva in the vitreous and typical subretinal tracks in his right eye. The larva was removed alive and normal visual acuity was preserved. This is the first time the reindeer warble fly larva (Oedemagena tarandi) has been found to cause myiasis in man. Ophthalmomyiasis interna posterior (OIP) often pro- LE 14 mmHg. The general physical examination was copyright. duces an acute illness with inflammation, pain, and negative. There was no eosinophilia. reduced visual acuity. In some cases, however, the The anterior part of the eye gave no indication of disease may cause few or no symptoms, and the signs where the larva had entered the eye. Treatment was of OIP in the form of pigmented tracks in the fundus with topical steroids, and on 7 October a pars plana or a dead larva in the vitreous are accidentally vitrectomy was performed and the larva was freed discovered. ,- from its vitreous connections. Through a separate We report the first case of OIP in which a larva was pars plana opening the larva was removed alive with a removed alive from the vitreous and the visual acuity of the eye was preserved.
    [Show full text]
  • Diptera: Oestridae) Human Ophthalmomyiasis by Larval DNA Barcoding
    DOI: 10.2478/s11686-014-0242-2 © W. Stefański Institute of Parasitology, PAS Acta Parasitologica, 2014, 59(2), 301–304; ISSN 1230-2821 Confirming Hypoderma tarandi (Diptera: Oestridae) human ophthalmomyiasis by larval DNA barcoding Bjørn Arne Rukke1*, Symira Cholidis2, Arild Johnsen3 and Preben Ottesen1 1Department of Pest Control, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Lovisenberggata 8, 0456 Oslo, Norway; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Oslo University Hospital, Kirkeveien 166, 0450 Oslo, Norway; 3Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Sars gate 1, 0562 Oslo, Norway Abstract DNA barcoding is a practical tool for species identification, when morphological classification of an organism is difficult. Herein we describe the utilisation of this technique in a case of ophthalmomyiasis interna. A 12-year-old boy was infested during a summer holiday in northern Norway, while visiting an area populated with reindeer. Following medical examination, a Diptera larva was surgically removed from the boy’s eye and tentatively identified from its morphological traits as Hypoderma tarandi (L.) (Diptera: Oestridae). Ultimately, DNA barcoding confirmed this impression. The larval cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) DNA sequence was matched with both profiles of five adult H. tarandi from the same region where the boy was infested, and other established profiles of H. tarandi in the Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) identification engine. Keywords Ophthalmomyiasis, species identification, DNA barcoding, Hypoderma tarandi Introduction polar geographical range (Zumpt 1965). Eggs are laid directly on guard hairs of these animals. When the larvae hatch, they Ophthalmomyiasis is a condition where larvae of some penetrate the skin, migrating subcutaneously to dorsal areas of Diptera invade the human eye or its coverings.
    [Show full text]
  • Warble Control in Alberta
    Agdex 420/651-1 Warble Control in Alberta he warble is a major economic pest of cattle in The larvae wander through the animal’s tissue during the T Alberta. Warble grubs, which are the larval stage of fall and winter, reaching the back of the animal in the the “heelfly,” spend over nine months in cattle as internal spring. It is during this early migratory stage that the parasites. During this period they damage the meat and grubs are most susceptible to control with systemic hide of infested animals and are responsible for reduced insecticides. While moving through the animal, the milk production in lactating cattle and lower weight gains common cattle grubs move into the esophagus, while the in calves. Both cattlemen and packers incur severe northern cattle grubs tend to gather around the spinal economic losses in the absence of a warble management cord. Using systemic insecticides on animals with grubs in program. In Alberta, there is a province-wide organized these areas may result in side reactions; consequently, warble control program helping Alberta cattlemen and the treatment is not recommended in December, January or packing industry. According to the Agricultural Pest Act, February. The grubs reach the back in March or April all Alberta producers must take active measures to control (depending on the species and the area of the province), warbles in their cattle. To manage warbles at the farm cut breathing holes through the hide and remain there for level, it is necessary to understand the biology of the insect four to 10 weeks.
    [Show full text]
  • The Report of the Chief Veterinary Officer 2005
    www.defra.gov.uk The Report of the Chief Veterinary Of The Report of the Chief Veterinary Officer Animal Health 2005 ficer Animal Health 2005 PB 11773 Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR www.defra.gov.uk The Report of the Chief Veterinary Officer Animal Health 2005 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department Welsh Assembly Government May 2006 Acknowledgement for photographic material We express our grateful thanks to the following for their permission to use the photographs contained in this report: • Marketing – Veterinary Laboratories Agency; • Lee Morgan; • Christine Oines; and • Juliet Dukes PhD, Institute for Animal Health Pirbright. Front cover picture: Image from microarray using a viral isolate from the Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak of 2001. Website addresses included in this report are correct at time of publication. If you experience any problems with links, please contact [email protected]. Editor: Amir Ghani Editorial Group: Paul Goodhew, Emily Thorne and Peter Green Further copies of this publication are available from: Defra Publications Admail 6000 London SW1A 2XX Telephone: 08459 556000 Email: [email protected] This document is also available on the Defra website Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Nobel House 17 Smith Square London SW1P 3JR Telephone 020 7238 6000 Website: www.defra.gov.uk © Crown copyright 2006 Copyright in the typographical arrangement and design rests with the Crown. This publication (excluding the logo) may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium provided that it is reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context.
    [Show full text]