A survey of the helminth parasites of cetaceans stranded on the coast of England and Wales during the period 1990‐1994

Abstract

The helminth parasites from more than 300 cetaceans stranded on the coast of England and Wales during the period 1990±1994 were identi®ed, this being the largest organized survey of cetacean parasites yet undertaken. Thirteen species of cetaceans were examined, although the majority were common (harbour) porpoises Phocoena phocoena (n = 173) and common dolphins Delphinus delphis (n = 101). The parasites found included 11 species of nematode () and two acanthocephalans (Bolbosoma capitatum, B. physeteris). The results of this survey are tabulated and each helminth species is discussed in terms of its biology and pathogenicity.

Eighteen-Year Study of South Australian Dolphins Shows Variation in Lung Nematodes by Season, Year, Age Class, and Location

“…No lung nematodes have been reported for Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins but, as noted, this species was only recently separated from the common bottlenose dolphin. Published reports of lung nematodes in common dolphins include Skrjabinalius guevarai from the Mediterranean (Raga et al, 1987), H. delphini from the United Kingdom (Gibson et al, 1998), and unknown species from New Zealand (Stockin et al, 2009). Arundel (1978) listed common dolphins among the species from which H. lagenorhynchi had been recorded in Australia but provided no reference.…”

“…A difference in severity of parasite infections was observed between stranded and by-caught harbor porpoises from German and Norwegian waters (Lehnert et al, 2005). Baker (1992) and Gibson et al (1998) investigated mortality and incidental lesions in a range of dolphins and whales from British waters. Lesions caused by lung nematodes have been described in the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), and striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) from the Mediterranean Sea (Raga et al, 1987).…”

“…Lesions caused by lung nematodes have been described in the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), and striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) from the Mediterranean Sea (Raga et al, 1987). Many pathologic changes, including fatalities, are caused by lung nematode infections (Gibson et al, 1998;Parsons and Jefferson, 2000).…”

“…Studies have been conducted in Europe, the USA, Japan, and Hong Kong (Measures, 2001) but these locations are likely to be areas of high observer effort rather than true hot spots of nematode infection in marine mammals. Most studies have concentrated on the taxonomy of the nematodes (Baylis and Daubney, 1925;Johnston and Mawson, 1941;Arnold and Gaskin, 1975;Raga et al, 1987;Balbuena et al, 1994;Gibson et al, 1998;Lehnert et al, 2005) or the pathology of host species (Testi and Pilleri, 1969;Woodard et al, 1969;Dailey and Stroud, 1978;Viale, 1981;Tsocheva et al, 1992;Parsons et al, 1999;Siebert et al, 2001;Bossart et al, 2003;Kuwamura et al, 2007). Of the cetaceans, the harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) has been particularly well studied, with studies in the Baltic Sea finding a relationship between water pollution and lung nematode infections (Siebert et al, 2001).…”

Isolation and Characterization of Brucella From the Lungworms of a Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena Phocoena)

“…A large amount of froth was present in the trachea and the bronchi. Numerous long slender nematodes identified as P. inflexus (Gibson et al, 1998) were present in the lower airways. Both lungs were hyperemic.…”