Wolffhugelia

Wolffhugelia
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Acanthocephala
Class:	Eoacanthocephala
Order:	Neoechinorhynchida
Family:	Neoechinorhynchidae
Subfamily:	Gracilisentinae
Genus:	Wolffhugelia Mane-Garzon and Dei-Cas, 1974 [1]
Species:	W. matercula
Binomial name
Wolffhugelia matercula Mane-Garzon and Dei-Cas, 1974

Wolffhugelia is a monotypic genus of acanthocephalans (thorny-headed or spiny-headed parasitic worms) containing a single species, Wolffhugelia matercula, that infests animals.

Taxonomy

The species was described by Mane-Garzon and Dei-Cas in 1974. ^[1] The National Center for Biotechnology Information does not indicate that any phylogenetic analysis has been published on Wolffhugelia that would confirm its position as a unique genus in the family Neoechinorhynchidae. ^[2]

Description

Wolffhugelia matercula consists of a proboscis covered in hooks and a trunk.

Distribution

The distribution of W. matercula is determined by that of its hosts. It is from Uruguay. ^[1]

Hosts

Life cycle of Acanthocephala.

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 Wolffhugelia are not known, they are always 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 Wolffhugelia. ^[5]

W. matercula parasitizes a onesided livebearer ( Jenynsia lineata ). ^[1] There are no reported cases of W. matercula infesting humans in the English language medical literature. ^[4]

Notes

1. There are no known aberrant human infections for W. matercula species. ^[4]

References

1. Mane-Garzon,F.and Dei-Cas,E., 19740813861, French, Journal article, France, 49, (1), Paris, Annales de Parasitologie Humaine et Comparee, (83–89), Masson, A new acanthocephalan, Wolffhugelia matercula n.g., n.sp. from the intestine of Fitzroyia lineata (Jenyns) (Fish) in Uruguay.
2. 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". Database: The Journal of Biological Databases and Curation. doi:10.1093/database/baaa062. PMC   7408187 . PMID   32761142 . Retrieved 1 April 2024.
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. Mathison, BA; et al. (November 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.