Cetacean Cytology

A novel trypanoplasm-like flagellate Jarrellia atramenti n. g., n. sp. (Kinetoplastida: Bodonidae) and ciliates from the blowhole of a stranded pygmy sperm whale Kogia breviceps (Physeteridae): morphology, life cycle and potential pathogenicity

“…We believe that Jarrellia atramenti is a normal, benign component of the fauna of the respiratory tract of the pygmy sperm whale, consistent with the observations of unidentified flagellates from the blowhole mucus of other cetaceans by Campbell (1999) and Sweeney et al (1999). Evidence for this includes initial detection of the flagellates upon the whale's arrival, their persistence throughout the rehabilitation period, and their presence prior to release, when the animal was healthy and free of clinical signs of any respiratory ailments or other disease.…”

“…Prior to the recent report of a kinetoplastid from cetaceans by Sweeney et al (1999), bodonid trophozoites have been considered unable to survive the elevated body temperature of a mammal (Vickerman 1989); (species of Bodo reported from the feces or urine of man or other animals [Hassall 1859], have been either misidentified or were contaminants [Sinton 1912, Vickerman 1978). The different morphologies of the single organism illustrated by Sweeney et al (1999) and the organism we now describe, the body of the latter being at least twice as long as that of the former, suggest that multiple species of kinetoplastids inhabit cetaceans, and therefore cetaceans may be common hosts for some members of the suborder Bodonina. The bodonid kinetoplastid from the respiratory tract of the pygmy sperm whale possesses a unique combination of morphological features, namely a prominent undulating membrane and fragmented kinetoplast (Table 2), and thus could not be assigned to any genus described in the current key (Leedale & Vickerman in press).…”

“…Although recent handbooks and stranding response manuals (Dierauf 1991, Geraci & Lounsbury 1993, Kirk 1995 omit protocols for protozoan material while including protocols for collection and preservation of metazoans, recent texts on cetacean cytology do include protocols for protozoa (Campbell 1999, Sweeney et al 1999. One would expect studies to show that marine mammals are suitable hosts for a diversity of protozoa, since other marine organisms, such as fish, are heavily infected (Lom & Dykova 1992, Woo 1995, and terrestrial mammals are also hosts for a broad range of protozoan species (Georgi & Georgi 1990).…”

“…The ciliates include the following: the prostomean Haematophagus megapterae from baleen plates (Woodcock & Lodge 1921, Evans et al 1986); the phyllopharyngid Kyaroikeus cetarius from the blowhole (Sniezek et al 1995), ciliates tentatively identified as K. cetarius from the blowhole, alveolar spaces and subbronchiolar mucosa (Woodard et al 1969, Sniezek et al 1995; and unidentified ciliates from the blowhole, skin lesions, lymph nodes and bronchioli (Howard et al 1983, Dailey 1985, Schulman & Lipscomb 1997, 1999. Flagellates, though recently reported from the blowhole mucus of wild and captive cetaceans (Campbell 1999, Sweeney et al 1999, including Atlantic bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus and beluga whales Delphinapterus leucas (Arkush, Campbell, Dailey, Sweeney, Van Bonn pers. comm.…”

“…), have never been studied in detail. Their identities remain unknown, with the exception of the unidentified kinetoplastid reported by Sweeney et al (1999). Our knowledge of the apicomplexan fauna of cetaceans is more complete, with Toxoplasma and Sarcocystis reported from many internal organs (Cowan 1966, Owen & Kakulas 1968, Akao 1970, Dailey & Stroud 1978, Munday et al 1978, Cruickshank et al 1990, Inskeep et al 1990, Migaki et al 1990, Domingo et al 1992, De Guise et al 1993, Di Guardo et al 1995.…”