Halicephalobus gingivalis

Halicocephalus gingivalis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Nematoda
Class: Secernentea
Order: Tylenchida
Family: Panagrolaimidae
Genus: Halicephalobus
Species:
H. gingivalis
Binomial name
Halicephalobus gingivalis
(Stefanski, 1954)
Synonyms

Micronema deletrix, Halicephalobus deletrix.[1]

Halicephalobus gingivalis is a free-living saprophagous nematode species identified and named in 1954 by Stefanski. It is a facultative parasite of horses, invading the nasal cavity, and sometimes numerous other areas, where it produces granulomatous masses. On rare occasion, it can infect humans as well, in whom it is invariably fatal. Based on studies performed on infected horses in Florida, the parasite is associated with swampland environments. These worms are dioecious, with female and male organs having been found in separate individuals. Eggs and immature larvae have been found in tissue samples, indicating an asexual reproductive cycle [clarification needed], and free-living males have been found in soil environments, indicating that sexual reproduction also occurs. The site of entry for the parasite is thought to be through breaks in the skin or through mucous membranes.[2] This nematode is now distributed worldwide, as cases of equine infections have been found in Canada, Florida, the Nordic regions, and Arabian horses alike.[3][4][5]

  1. ^ Monoranu, Camelia-Maria; Müllges, Wolfgang; Keppler, Marc; Brehm, Klaus; Ondrejka, Sarah L.; Muntau, Birgit; Tannich, Egbert; Müller-Hermelink, Hans Konrad; Tappe, Dennis (2015). "Fatal Human Meningoencephalitis due to Halicephalobus Nematodes, Germany". Open Forum Infectious Diseases. 2 (2): ofv061. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofv061. PMC 4462890. PMID 26125032. Halicephalobus gingivalis (formerly Micronema deletrix)
  2. ^ Craig R. Reinemeyer; Martin Krarup Nielsen; Debra C. Sellon (2007). "Nematodes". In Debra C. Sellon; Maureen T. Long (eds.). Equine Infectious Diseases. St. Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier. pp. 480–494. ISBN 978-1-4160-2406-4.
  3. ^ Matthías Eydal; Slavko H. Bambir; Sigurdur Sigurdarson; Eggert Gunnarsson; Vilhjámur Svansson; Stefán Fridriksson; Ellert Thór Benediktsson; Ólöf G. Sigurdardóttir (2012). "Fatal infection in two Icelandic stallions caused by Halicephalobus gingivalis" (PDF). Veterinary Parasitology. 186 (3–4): 523–527. doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2011.11.024. PMID 22305655. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-08-17. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  4. ^ Howard Ferris. "Halicephalobus gingivalis". Nemaplex. University of California, Davis. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  5. ^ Bhavesh Papadi; Carole Boudreaux; J. Allan Tucker; Blaine Mathison; Henry Bishop & Mark E. Eberhard (2013). "Halicephalobus gingivalis: a rare cause of fatal meningoencephalomyelitis in humans". American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 88 (6): 1062–1064. doi:10.4269/ajtmh.12-0730. PMC 3752803. PMID 23509120.