Paraprosthenorchis is a monotypic genus of acanthocephalans (thorny-headed or spiny-headed parasitic worms). It contains a single species, Paraprosthenorchis ornatus, which infests the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) in Vietnam.
| Paraprosthenorchis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Acanthocephala |
| Class: | Archiacanthocephala |
| Order: | Oligacanthorhynchida |
| Family: | Oligacanthorhynchidae |
| Genus: | Paraprosthenorchis Amin, Ha and Heckmann, 2008 |
| Species: | P. ornatus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Paraprosthenorchis ornatus Amin, Ha and Heckmann, 2008
| |
Taxonomy edit
This genus is named for its nearest oligacanthorhynchid genus, Prosthenorchis.[1]
Description edit
Paraprosthenorchis Amin, Ha and Heckmann, 2008 have a trunk over 200 mm long, ornate proboscis with three non-barbed hooks in each of 16 rows. They have simple hook roots without manubria, and a large oblong horizontally posterior hook base. There are about 35 festoons. Protonephridia are gill-like and capsular. Gonopore is terminal. The primary host are Manidae in Vietnam with ants and termites as intermediate hosts.[1]
P. ornatus has been found in the intestine of the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) collected from the Hanoi Zoological Park, Vietnam. The anterior trunk has many small festoons and proboscis hooks are inserted in elevated papillae separated by beady, near hexagonal, ornate grids. The species is named for its uniquely ornate proboscis.[1]
Distribution edit
The distribution of P. ornatus is determined by that of its hosts. P. ornatus has been found in Vietnam.[1]
Hosts edit
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. The intermediate hosts of Paraprosthenorchis are termites. 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 are passed in the feces of the definitive host and the cycle repeats. There are no known paratenic hosts (hosts where parasites infest but do not undergo larval development or sexual reproduction) for Paraprosthenorchis.[4]
Paraprosthenorchis ornatus has been found parasitizing the Chinese pangolin.[5] There are no reported cases of P. ornatus infesting humans in the English language medical literature.[3]
- Hosts for Paraprosthenorchis ornatus
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The Chinese pangolin is a host of P. ornatus
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Notes edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d Amin, Omar M.; Ha, Ngyuen Van; Heckmann, Richard A. (February 2008). "New and already known acanthocephalans mostly from mammals in Vietnam, with descriptions of two new genera and species in Archiacanthocephala". The Journal of Parasitology. 94 (1): 194–201. doi:10.1645/GE-1394.1. ISSN 0022-3395. PMID 18372641. S2CID 7767259.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Amin, Omar; Nguyen, Ha Van; Heckmann, Richard A (March 2008). "New and Already Known Acanthocephalans Mostly from Mammals in Vietnam, withDescriptions of Two New Genera and Species in Archiacanthocephala". The Journal of Parasitology. 94 (1): 194–201 – via JSTOR.