Diagnostic Cytology in Avian Medicine

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.…”

“…Although the whale was initially in poor health, a condition that might have allowed an opportunistic pathogen to become problematic, this apparently did not occur, thus suggesting that the flagellates were commensals. Although occasional white blood cells and epithelial cells were present in the mucus of the blowhole, this is a normal cytological finding (Campbell 1999, Sweeney et al 1999. Additional support for the proposed benign relationship comes from the similarity of J. atramenti to the bodonid kinetoplastid Cryptobia spp.…”

“…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.…”

“…Additional work on the protozoans of cetaceans, particularly the ciliates and flagellates, is needed in order to determine the range of organisms present and their role in disease (Dailey 1985, Campbell 1999. Captive cetaceans offer excellent opportunities to study their protozoan fauna, and we report now on one such study.…”