Varestrongylus alpenae (Nematoda: Metastrongyloidea) in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) of Saskatchewan

Abstract

PYBUS. 1985. Varestrongylus alpenae (Nematoda: Metastrongyloidea) in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) of Saskatchewan. Can. J. Zool. 63: 1449-1454. The lungworm nematode Varestrongylus alpenae (Dikmans, 1935) Dougherty, 1945 is reported in Canada for the first time. Dorsal-spined, first-stage nematode larvae were found in 19% of 1098 fecal pellet groups of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) randomly collected in central and eastern Saskatchewan. These larvae developed to the infective stage, experimentally, in the gastropods Triodopsis albolabris and Triodopsis multilineata and were infective to captive mule deer (Odocoileus h. hemionus) and white-tailed deer fawns. All of four mule deer and two of three white-tailed deer developed patent infections (mule deer in 43 -49 days and white-tailed deer in 54-55 days). Adults nematodes, identified as Varestrongylus alpenae, were recovered from the lung parenchyma of two mule deer. The geographical distribution of V. alpenae in white-tailed deer in North America is discussed. GRAY, J. B., W. M. SAMUEL, A. W. SHOSTAK et M. J. PYBUS. 1985. Varestrongylus alpenae (Nematoda: Metastrongyloidea) in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) of Saskatchewan. Can. J. Zool. 63: 1449-1454. Le nkmatode parasite du poumon Varestrongylus alpenae (Dikmans, 1935) Dougherty, 1945, a kt6 trouvk au Canada pour la premikre fois. Des larves de premier stade a kpines dorsales ont kt6 trouvks dans 19% des groupes de boulettes fkcales de cerfs a queue blanche (Odocoileus virginianus) recueillis au hasard dans le centre et I'Est de la Saskatchewan. Ces larves ont atteint le stade infectieux en laboratoire chez les gastropodes Triodopsis albolabris et Triodopsis multilineata et elles se sont avkrkes infectieuses pour des cerfs a queue noire (Odocoileus h. hemionus) et des faons du cerf a queue blanche gardks en captivitk. Les symptomes de I'infection se sont manifestks chez les quatre cerfs a queue noire exposks (apres 43-49 jours) et chez deux des trois cerfs a queue blanche exposks (apres 54-55 jours. Des adultes du nematode, reconnu comme Varestrongylus alpenae, ont kt6 retrouvks dans le parenchyme pulmonaire de deux cerfs a queue noire. La rkpartition gkographique de V. alpenae chez les cerfs a queue blanche d'Amkrique du Nord fait l'objet d'une discussion. [Traduit par le journal] Bindernagel and Anderson (1972) found dorsal-spined, firststage larvae in the feces of white-tailed deer in Saskatchewan in 197 1. They indicated that the larvae were morphologically indistinguishable from those of the meningeal worm, Parelaphostrongylus tenuis. They recovered adult worms of P. tenuis from a white-tailed deer in Manitoba within 52 km of Saskatchewan and indicated that if P. tenuis was in Saskatchewan and was spreading westward, it would have important implications for the management of big game to the west. Parelaphostrongylus tenuis, although generally not pathogenic in its normal host, white-tailed deer, causes severe pathology often resulting in death in a variety of cervids ...

Serendipitous discovery of a novel protostrongylid (Nematoda: Metastrongyloidea) in caribou, muskoxen, and moose from high latitudes of North America based on DNA sequence comparisons

“…In distance-based analyses, the sequences of the unknown consistently grouped with Varestrongylus alpenae, a pulmonary parasite of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmermann, 1780)) from central and eastern North America (Gray et al 1985). Reciprocal monophyly is clearly demonstrated ( Fig.…”

“…Dictyocaulus eckerti Skrjabin, 1931 was isolated from both host species and U. pallikuukensis and Protostrongylus stilesi from muskoxen, but no other nematodes were found in the lungs (S. Kutz, E. Hoberg, B. Elkin and J. Nishi, unpublished data;Hoberg et al 2002). However, adults of Varestrongylus are small, measuring 13-24 mm in length and 0.02-0.10 mm in width (for V. alpenae), cause subtle pathology easily missed on gross examination, and may be extremely difficult to detect in the lungs (Gray et al 1985). Likewise, if the undescribed protostrongylid is associated with an extrapulmonary site, such parasites can be particularly cryptic and obscure (Lankester and Hauta 1989).…”

“…First-stage larvae among species of the genera Parelaphostrongylus Boev and Schulz 1950, Elaphostrongylus Cameron 1931, Umingmakstrongylus Hoberg, Polley Gunn and Nishi 1995, Cystocaulus Schulz, Orlov and Kutass 1933, Varestrongylus Bhalerao 1932, and Muellerius Cameron 1927 are morphologically similar, bearing a dorsal spine on the tail (Boev 1975;Kontrimavichus et al 1976). In some cases, genera can be differentiated based on total length of larvae (Gray et al 1985) or subtle differences in tail morphology (S.J. Kutz, unpublished data for Umingmakstrongylus pallikuukensis Hoberg, Polley, Gunn and Nishi 1995).…”

Natural and experimental nematode infections in red deer (<i>Cervus</i> <i>elaphus</i> <i>elaphus</i>) and the potential for antemortem serodiagnosis of the tissue worm <i>Elaphostrongylus</i> <i>cervi</i>

“…The L 1 of these and other protostrongylids are morphologically similar. The L 1 of many species can be differentiated by means of larval morphometrics (Mason 1995), whereas definitive diagnoses of others are restricted to the recovery and identification of infecting adults (Gray et al 1985).…”

Meningeal Worm in Deer from Western Nebraska

“…Several closely related parasites to P. tenuis have larvae that are indistinguish-able from P. tenuis larvae (Pybus and Shave, 1984;Gray et al, 1985). To state that P. tenuis is present based on the presence of larvae with a cuticular spine on the posterior dorsal surface alone, without finding the adults in the brain, is unreliable.…”