Crassicauda boopis in a fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) ship-struck in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean

On 9 November 2015, a juvenile male fin whale of 11·60 m length was observed on the bulb of a merchant vessel in the Channel Terneuzen – Ghent (The Netherlands – Belgium). A severe parasitosis was present in the right heart ventricle and caudal caval vein. Parasites were identified as Crassicauda bo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Parasitology Open
Main Authors: Lempereur, Laetitia, Delobelle, Morgan, Doom, Marjan, Haelters, Jan, Levy, Etienne, Losson, Bertrand, Jauniaux, Thierry
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8530008
http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8530008
https://doi.org/10.1017/pao.2017.10
https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8530008/file/8530009
Description
Summary:On 9 November 2015, a juvenile male fin whale of 11·60 m length was observed on the bulb of a merchant vessel in the Channel Terneuzen – Ghent (The Netherlands – Belgium). A severe parasitosis was present in the right heart ventricle and caudal caval vein. Parasites were identified as Crassicauda boopis based on macroscopic and microscopic observations. The sequence of the 18S rRNA gene obtained from the parasite samples was 100% similar to the sequence of the 18S rRNA gene from Crassicauda magna available on GenBank. While adults of C. boopis and C. magna are morphologically distinct and found at different locations in the body, the molecular analysis of the 18S rRNA gene seems insufficient for reliable species identification. Although numerous C. boopis were found, the cause of death was identified as due to the collision with the ship, as suggested by the presence of a large haematoma, and the absence of evidence of renal failure. The young age of this whale and the absence of severe chronic reaction may suggest that the infestation was not yet at an advanced chronic stage.