Acanthocephaloides is a genus of parasitic worms belonging to the family Arhythmacanthidae.[1]

Acanthocephaloides
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Acanthocephala
Class: Palaeacanthocephala
Order: Echinorhynchida
Family: Arhythmacanthidae
Genus: Acanthocephaloides
Meyer, 1932
Synonyms

Neoacanthocephaloides Cable & Quick, 1954

Taxonomy edit

A phylogenetic study has been conducted on Acanthocephaloides propinquus.[2]

Description edit

Acanthocephaloides species consist of a proboscis covered in hooks and a long trunk.

Species edit

Species:[1]

  • Acanthocephaloides claviformis Araki & Machida, 1987
  • Acanthocephaloides cyrusi Bray, Spencer-Jones & Lewis, 1988
  • Acanthocephaloides delamuri (Parukhin, 1989)
  • Acanthocephaloides distinctus Golvan, 1969
  • Acanthocephaloides geneticus de Buron, Renaud & Euzet, 1986
  • Acanthocephaloides ichiharai Araki & Machida, 1987
  • Acanthocephaloides irregularis Amin, Oguz, Heckmann, Tepe & Kvach, 2011
  • Acanthocephaloides neobythitis Yamaguti, 1939
  • Acanthocephaloides nicoli (Kumar, 1992)
  • Acanthocephaloides plagiusae Santana-Piñeros, Cruz-Quintana, Centeno-Chalé & Vidal-Martinez, 2013
  • Acanthocephaloides propinquus (Dujardin, 1845)
  • Acanthocephaloides rhinoplagusiae (Yamaguti, 1935)
  • Acanthocephaloides spinicaudatus (Cable & Quick, 1954)

Distribution edit

The distribution of Acanthocephaloides is determined by that of its hosts. The species of this genus are found in Europe.[1]

Hosts edit

 
Life cycle of Acanthocephala.[3][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 an arthropod, the intermediate host. Although the intermediate hosts of Acanthocephaloides are 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 Acanthocephaloides.[5]

Acanthocephaloides parasitizes animals. There are no reported cases of Acanthocephaloides infesting humans in the English language medical literature.[4]

Notes edit

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

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Acanthocephaloides Meyer, 1932". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  2. ^ García-Varela M, Nadler SA. Phylogenetic relationships among Syndermata inferred from nuclear and mitochondrial gene sequences. Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2006 Jul;40(1):61-72. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2006.02.010. Epub 2006 Mar 30. PMID: 16574435.
  3. ^ CDC’s Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria (April 11, 2019). "Acanthocephaliasis". www.cdc.gov. Center for Disease Control. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  4. ^ 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.
  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.