I have come across a nematode previously unrepresented in my host sample and would like to kindly request some assistance in identifying it. The worms were recovered from the large intestine of a female Apodemus flavicollis. Photos of a male and female are enclosed with this question. The length of the female is approx. 1,16 mm, with the eggs measuring approx. 0,060x0,041 mm. The length of the male is approx. 1,11 mm (though I found smaller ones as well, less than a millimeter long), the length of the spicule is approx. 0,065 mm. As far as I can gather, these appear to be Rhabditis sp. However, as far as I'm aware, adults of these nematodes are free-living and would have no business being in the intestinal tract of a mouse. Unless, of course, I'm missing something. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.
Please contact people from Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS
http://www.miiz.waw.pl/en/
Hard to tell but it could be Rhabditis sp. Not necessarily a parasite of the host but of what the host ate. Some Rhaditis sp. are found in litter on the ground and in the process of foraging inject the parasite.
file:///C:/Users/Rachelmkandawire/Documents/Rachel/Pdf/Village%20banking/10585-12774-1-PB.pdf
http://www.k-state.edu/parasitology/classes/625nematode19.html
Rhabditis orbitali can also invade conjuctival sac of rodents/mice
Thank you for your replies.
@Mauritz Sterner: I was aware that they reside in litter or the host's nest, and would suspect that the mice ingest them often with their food. I just didn't think that they could survive the journey through the intestinal tract and still be in one piece. They were in the large intestine, so they must've gone through the whole digestion process, and yet they were in excellent condition, so this is why I was wondering how they got there.
Hi!
It is for sure Rhabditidae, concerning the genus it may be Pelodera. Pharynx is not distinct but a bursa with ribs well seen. Pelodera formerly was a subgenus of Rhabditis. You need to fix nematodes in HOT 4% formalin in the Eppendorf tube (use a microwave pot as the water bath for Eppendorf tube with 4% formalin) and you need to prepare DNA probe (or simply dry the worm under lamp on the sterile plastic band with a drop of water with a crystall of sugar). For the detailed identification try to contact Prof Walter Sudhaus, he is the best taxonomist on the Rhabdidtidae in the whole world.
@Alexander Ryss: Thank you very much for your answer. Indeed, while looking up information on the genus Rhabditis I also found out that the genus Pelodera had been erected from it. Your suggestions on identification are also very helpful and appreciated.
Hi Borislav:
I agree, Pelodera appears as the closest genus. One species of Pelodera has been reported as causing dermatitis in humans and animals, including guinea pigs. You may give a look at this page:
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/integumentary_system/helminths_of_the_skin/pelodera_dermatitis.html
Also you may be interested in these papers and their references:
Saari , S. A.M. ,and Nikander, S. E. (2006). Pelodera (syn. Rhabditis) strongyloides as a cause of dermatitis – a report of 11 dogs from Finland. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica, 48:18 (doi:10.1186/1751-0147-48-18).
Ginsburg B., Beaver P.C., Wilson E.R., Whitley R.J. (1984 ). Dermatitis due to larvae of a soil nematode, Pelodera strongyloides. Pediatric Dermatol. 2, 33-37.
Rashmir-Raven A. M. , Black S. S. , Rickard L. G. , Akin M. (2000). Papillomatous pastern dermatitis with spirochetes and Pelodera strongyloides in a Tennessee Walking Horse. J. Vet. Diagn. Invest. 12:287–291.
If you have living cultures of the nematode you might try to check if it can invade lab mice and multiply in their intestine. I guess probably the nematode invaded weak or muribund animals from anus or mouth, but a pathogenicity assay may add some more informations on this issue.
I agree with the genus that Pelodera. Pelodera strongyloides has been reported to parasite in animal.I think head and tail of the nematode similar to Pelodera Teres-group.
@Aurelio Ciancio: Thank you for your answer and reference suggestions. One of my first ideas was that the otherwise free-living nematode infected the animal through the anus, but I didn't know if this was possible. The mice I dissect arrive into my hands already dead and frozen, so there's no opportunity to establish living cultures of the parasite. However, I do believe that I have enough of a foundation now to report its finding adequately, since I'll have to mention it in my PhD thesis.
Borislav, your research interests are in partial conflict with your official reports. To finish research you need to collect mice again as alive animal and to collect soil fom the mice hole to detect dauer juveniles of rhabditids - for sure they are numerous in soil and you may have enough material for DNA sample. If you have some not-fixed frozen juvenules of this species you may confirm your identification via PCR analysis. No other way in your situation.
@Alexander Ryss: I understand that, in order to accurately confirm the identity of this species, much further research is necessary, in the vein of what you mentioned. When I mentioned "report" I did not mean in a scientific paper in a journal (perhaps I phrased it a bit awkwardly). I meant that, when I mention it in my PhD, I will have enough basis to say how the nematodes ended up in the animal, what conditions they can cause and the like, thanks to the answers you and the others have given. Thanks very much for your interest and suggestions.
I do not think it is Rhabditis. Morphologically it look like Pelodera sp.
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