Elaeophora poeli
| Elaeophora poeli | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Nematoda |
| Class: | Secernentea |
| Order: | Spirurida |
| Family: | Onchocercidae |
| Genus: | Elaeophora |
| Species: | E. poeli |
| Binomial name | |
|
Elaeophora poeli (Vryburg, 1879) |
|
Elaeophora poeli is a parasitic nematode found in the aorta, and sometimes the heart, of various cattle throughout Asia, and in parts of Africa. It is a large nematode, with males measuring 45–70 mm long and 200-260 µm wide, and females 40–300 mm long and 350 µm wide. Microfilariae are 340-346 µm long and 7.0-7.5 µm wide. Despite the fact that it lives in nodules (aneurysms) in the walls of the aorta and heart, apparent clinical symptoms of E. poeli infestation are seldom reported.
This species was first described from Water buffalo in 1879, and named Filaria poeli. In 1912, it was transferred to the newly erected genus Elaeophora Railliet and Henry 1912. In 1938, a detailed redescription of E. poeli was published. In that study, E. poeli was determined to be the same animal that previous authors had referred to as Filaria blini and Filaria haemophila, both isolated from Water buffalo aortas.
E. poeli has been found in several species of cattle: African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), Carabao or Water buffalo (Bubalus bubalus), and Zebu (Bos primigenius indicus). The geographic distribution of this species includes several Asian and African nations: Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mozambique, the Philippines, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, and Vietnam.
The life cycle of E. poeli is not known. The adults usually live attached to the inner walls of the aorta. They make aneurysmal (i.e. bulging) nodules in the wall of the aorta, which can be up to 2 cm in diameter. The male lives curled up inside the nodule, while the female lives with its head in the nodule and its body free in the lumen (interior space) of the aorta. Presumably the female sheds the offspring (microfilariae) directly into the host's bloodstream. Adults have also been found in nodules on the epicardium of the heart.
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