Characterisation of Crassicauda fuelleborni nematode infection in Indo-Pacific finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides) using postmortem computed tomography
Nematodes of the genus Crassicauda are parasites that infect various body tissues of cetaceans, including the mammary glands which can influence the reproductive output and hence threaten the survival of endangered cetacean populations. In this study, postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) was used t...
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Published in: | International journal for parasitology. Parasites and wildlife Vol. 18; pp. 68 - 75 |
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Main Authors: | , , , , |
Format: | Journal Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
England
Elsevier Ltd
01-08-2022
Elsevier |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | Nematodes of the genus Crassicauda are parasites that infect various body tissues of cetaceans, including the mammary glands which can influence the reproductive output and hence threaten the survival of endangered cetacean populations. In this study, postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) was used to characterise lesions related to Crassicauda fuelleborni infections in stranded Indo-Pacific finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides) from Hong Kong waters. Using PMCT and subsequently verified by conventional necropsy, Crassicauda-related lesions were found in 52% of finless porpoises examined (n = 13/25), including both males and females. These parasitic lesions were mostly located in the ventral abdominal muscles in both sexes and situated in proximity to the mammary glands in females. C. fuelleborni infections were also found in the male reproductive organs, which to our knowledge have not been reported in this cetacean species previously. PMCT characteristics of the lesions were also correlated with the gross appearance observed at necropsy and the chronicity of the parasitic infections. In conclusion, this study established the use of virtopsy, particularly PMCT, to characterise C. fuelleborni infections in stranded finless porpoises for the first time, which is non-invasive and can be used prior to conventional necropsy to aid disease diagnosis and targeted sampling. This technique can be extended to other species of cetaceans and parasites, as well as being used in the retrospective analysis of past PMCT scans to deepen our understanding of the prevalence, health impacts, and ecological implications of parasitic infection in cetaceans.
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•Computed tomography descriptions of cetacean mammary glands and adjacent musculature.•Detection and characterisation of Crassicauda-related lesions using virtopsy.•Crassicauda-related lesions found in 52% of finless porpoises examined in Hong Kong.•Virtopsy features correlated with necropsy findings and chronicity of infection.•Virtopsy can be used to study the prevalence and impact of parasitic infection in cetaceans. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 BCWK, HHNH, and EKCL contributed equally to this work. |
ISSN: | 2213-2244 2213-2244 |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2022.04.005 |