A Mallophaga, Trinoton anserinum , as a Cyclodevelopmental Vector for a Heartworm Parasite of Waterfowl

• Published in: Science
• Main Authors: Seegar, William S., Schiller, Everett L., Sladen, William J. L., Trpis, Milan
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1976
• Subjects: Cygnus columbianus
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.982042; https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.982042

The biting louse Trinoton anserinum serves as the intermediate host in the life cycle of the filarial heartworm, Sarconema eurycerca . Microfilariae, second-, and third-stage larvae were dissected from 39 of 89 lice infesting whistling swans, " Cygnus columbianus columbianus , in North America and mute swans, Cygnus olor , in the Black Sea, U.S.S.R. Infective third-stage larvae obtained from lice collected from heartworm-parasitized whistling swans were injected subcutaneously into each of two hand-reared, nonparasitized mute swan cygnets. Both of these birds developed heartworm infections, one becoming microfilaremic at 14 weeks. The results of this study provide conclusive evidence that a mallophagan serves as a natural cyclodevelopmental vector of a filarial parasite.