Elaphostrongylus cervi Cameron 1931 (Nematoda: Metastrongyloidea) in caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) of Newfoundland

Abstract

Elaphostrongylus cervi Cameron 1931 is identified for the first time in North America from woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in Newfoundland where up to 88% of animals were infected. First-stage nematode larvae identical to those of E. cervi occur in faeces of barren ground caribou (R. t. groenlandicus) of the Kaminuriak herd and of woodland caribou in northern Labrador, Ontario, and Manitoba, suggesting that the parasite is widespread in Rangifer in Canada.In clinically normal caribou, adult E. cervi were found beneath the skin and in fascia of the thoracic musculature. Verminous pneumonia caused by nematode eggs and larvae in the lungs and diffuse lymphocytic leptomeningitis over the brain and spinal cord were consistent aspects of infection. A 10-month-old caribou calf exhibiting neurologic signs had numerous E. cervi among thoracic and cervical muscles but none in the central nervous system. Accumulations of lymphocytes, eosinophils, and histiocytes in the subarachnoid and perineurium of lateral nerves in the posterior region of the spinal cord and destruction of axons in the cauda equina may explain the clinical signs observed.

Species of the genusElaphostrongylusparasite of Swedish cervidae. A description ofE. alcesn. sp.

“…Male: Spicules are well illustrated by many authors (Lyubimov 1945, Mitskevitch 1960, Lankester and Northcott 1979. The axis of the spicules, of a spongy appearance, are concave interno-posteriorly in its anterior half and concave ante riorly in its posterior half.…”

“…Furthermore, Kontrimavichus, Delyamure and Boev (1976) carefully pre sented three different taxa with the differences in host species and geographical distribution as the only support of subspecification: E. cervi Cameron 1931 Lankester and Northcott (1979) have also questioned the division into species.…”

Restoration of woodland caribou to the Lake Superior region

“…An E. cervilike parasite was tentatively identified in woodland caribou in Ontario P.1. P. Gogan and J. F. Cochrane (Lankester 1976, Lankester & Northcott 1979, Gray & Samuel 1986), but it has now been positively identified as a muscle worm (Parelaphostrongylus andersoni) (Lankester & Hauta 1989) common in white-tailed deer across North America (Anderson & Prestwood 1981, Pybus & Samuel 1984 and woodland caribou in Labrador and Ontario (Lankester & Hauta 1989). It apparently is not detrimental to either species, but its impact on moose is unknown.…”

A re-evaluation of the phylogeny of Parelaphostrongylus Boev & Schulz, 1950 (Nematoda: Protostrongylidae)

“…Members of the outgroup (Elaphostrongylus) can be found in both the central nervous system and the skeletal muscles (Lankester & Northcott, 1979;Mason, 1989). The precise location probably depends on the age of the infection.…”

“…It should be noted that the material referred to as Elaphostrongylus cervi in the cladistic study by Platt (1984) was from caribou Rangifer tarandus caribou in Newfoundland, Canada, and the characters used were as described by Lankester & Northcott (1979). As explained in Carreno & Lankester (1993), the currently accepted name for elaphostrongyline specimens from Rangifer is E. rangiferi.…”