Echinorhynchoides

Echinorhynchoides
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Acanthocephala
Class: Palaeacanthocephala
Order: Echinorhynchida
Family: Cavisomidae
Genus: Echinorhynchoides
Achmerov and Dombrovskaja-Achmerova, 1941
Species:
E. dogieli
Binomial name
Echinorhynchoides dogieli
Achmerov and Dombrovskaja-Achmerova, 1941

Echinorhynchoides is a monotypic genus of acanthocephalans (thorny-headed or spiny-headed parasitic worms) containing a single species, Echinorhynchoides dogieli, that infects animals.

Taxonomy

The species was described by Achmerov and Dombrovskaja-Achmerova in 1941. The National Center for Biotechnology Information does not indicate that any phylogenetic analysis has been published on Echinorhynchoides that would confirm its position as a unique genus in the family Cavisomidae.[1]

Description

Echinorhynchoides dogieli consists of a proboscis covered in hooks and a long trunk.[2]

Distribution

The distribution of Echinorhynchoides dogieli is determined by that of its hosts.

Hosts

Diagram of the life cycle of Acanthocephala
Life cycle of Acanthocephala.[3][a]

The life cycle of an acanthocephalan consists of three stages beginning when an infective acanthor (development of an egg) is released from the intestines of the definitive host and then ingested by an arthropod, the intermediate host. Although the intermediate hosts of Echinorhynchoides are arthropods. When the acanthor molts, the second stage called the acanthella begins. This stage involves penetrating the wall of the mesenteron or the intestine of the intermediate host and growing. The final stage is the infective cystacanth which is the larval or juvenile state of an Acanthocephalan, differing from the adult only in size and stage of sexual development. The cystacanths within the intermediate hosts are consumed by the definitive host, usually attaching to the walls of the intestines, and as adults they reproduce sexually in the intestines. The acanthor is passed in the feces of the definitive host and the cycle repeats. There may be paratenic hosts (hosts where parasites infest but do not undergo larval development or sexual reproduction) for Echinorhynchoides.[5]

Echinorhynchoides dogieli parasitizes animals. There are no reported cases of Echinorhynchoides dogieli infesting humans in the English language medical literature.[4]

Notes

  1. ↑ There are no known cases of accidental human infection by Echinorhynchoides species.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Schoch, Conrad L; Ciufo, Stacy; Domrachev, Mikhail; Hotton, Carol L; Kannan, Sivakumar; Khovanskaya, Rogneda; Leipe, Detlef; Mcveigh, Richard; O’Neill, Kathleen; Robbertse, Barbara; Sharma, Shobha; Soussov, Vladimir; Sullivan, John P; Sun, Lu; Turner, Seán; Karsch-Mizrachi, Ilene (2020). "NCBI Taxonomy: a comprehensive update on curation, resources and tools". Taxonomy Browser. NCBI. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  2. ↑ Poulin, R., & Morand, S. (2000). Testes size, body size and male–male competition in acanthocephalan parasites. Journal of Zoology, 250(4), 551-558.
  3. ↑ CDC’s Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria (11 April 2019). "Acanthocephaliasis". www.cdc.gov. Center for Disease Control. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  4. 1 2 Mathison, BA; et al. (2021). "Human Acanthocephaliasis: a Thorn in the Side of Parasite Diagnostics". J Clin Microbiol. 59 (11): e02691-20. doi:10.1128/JCM.02691-20. PMC 8525584. PMID 34076470.
  5. ↑ Schmidt, G.D. (1985). "Development and life cycles". In Crompton, D.W.T.; Nickol, B.B. (eds.). Biology of the Acanthocephala (PDF). Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press. pp. 273–305. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.