Heterospinus

  1. Home
  2. Wiki

Heterospinus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Acanthocephala
Class: Palaeacanthocephala
Order: Polymorphida
Family: Polymorphidae
Genus: Heterospinus
Rothman, Hill-Spanik, Wagner, Kendrick, Kingsley-Smith, & de Buron, 2024
Species:
H. mccordi
Binomial name
Heterospinus mccordi
Rothman, Hill-Spanik, Wagner, Kendrick, Kingsley-Smith, & de Buron, 2024[1]

Heterospinus is a monotypic genus of acanthocephalans (thorny-headed or spiny-headed parasitic worms) containing a single species, Heterospinus mccordi.

Taxonomy

[edit]

The species was described by Rothman, Hill-Spanik, Wagner, Kendrick, Kingsley-Smith, & de Buron in 2024. A phylogenetic analysis has been published.[1]

Description

[edit]

Based on a sample of cystocanths only, Heterospinus mccordi consists of a proboscis covered in hooks and a trunk.[1]

Distribution

[edit]

The distribution of Heterospinus mccordi is determined by that of its hosts, which is unknown. Cystecanths were found in the red swamp crayfish in South Carolina.[1]

Hosts

[edit]
Diagram of the life cycle of Acanthocephala
Life cycle of Acanthocephala.[2][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 the invasive red swamp crayfish the intermediate host.[1] 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 Heterospinus.[4]

The definitive host for Heterospinus mccordi is not known, only the intermediate host red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii).[1] There are no reported cases of Heterospinus mccordi infesting humans in the English language medical literature.[3]

  • Hosts for Heterospinus mccordi
  • A red swamp crayfish on the beach
    The red swamp crayfish is an intermediate host of H. mccordi

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ There are no known aberrant human infections for Heterospinus mccordi species.[3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f Rothman, Gregory K.; Hill-Spanik, Kristina M.; Wagner, Graham A.; Kendrick, Michael R.; Kingsley-Smith, Peter R.; De Buron, Isaure (2025). "Morphological description and molecular characterization of Heterospinus mccordi n. gen. n. sp. (Acanthocephala: Polymorphidae) from cystacanths infecting a non-native crayfish host, Procambarus clarkii (Decapoda: Cambaridae), in South Carolina, USA". Systematic Parasitology. 102 (1) 11. doi:10.1007/s11230-024-10195-8. PMC 11628437. PMID 39652278.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ a b 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.
  4. ^ 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.