Physaloptera Explained

Physaloptera is a genus of parasitic nematodes in the family Physalopteridae.

Systematics

Species include:

• Physaloptera dilatata^[1]
• Physaloptera dispar^[2]
• Physaloptera hispida^[3]
• Physaloptera losseni^[1]
• Physaloptera maxillaris^[4]
• Physaloptera murisbrasiliensis^[3]
• Physaloptera ngoci ^[5]
• Physaloptera preputialis^[6]
• Physaloptera retusa^[1]
• Physaloptera rara^[7]

Undescribed or unidentified species have been found on the hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus) in the southern United States,^[3] the marsh rice rat (Oryzomys palustris) in Florida,^[8] and Leontopithecus rosalia, Physalaemus soaresi, Cacajao calvus, and Lagothrix lagotricha in Brazil.^[1]

Physaloptera spp. as human parasites

Most species utilize insects such as crickets, cockroaches, and beetles as intermediate hosts. Several species of Physaloptera can be parasites of primates and man.^{[9] [10]} This rare disease is known as spiruridiasis.Human infection is considered to be ancient; eggs of Physaloptera sp. were found in a grave of the Bronze Age in Iran.^[11]

Literature cited

• Dragoo . J.W. . Sheffield . S.R. . 2009 . Conepatus leuconotus (Carnivora: Mephitidae) . Mammalian Species . 827 . 1–8 . 10.1644/827.1. free .
• Kinsella . J.M. . 1974 . Comparison of helminth parasites of the cotton rat, Sigmodon hispidus, from several habitats in Florida . American Museum Novitates . 2540 . 1–12 . 2246/2742 .
• Kinsella, J.M. 1988. Comparison of helminths of rice rats, Oryzomys palustris, from freshwater and saltwater marshes in Florida. Proceedings of the Helminthological Society of Washington 55(2):275–280.
• Mirzayans . A . 1971 . Incidence of gastrointestinal helminths of domestic cats in the Teheran area of Iran . The Journal of Parasitology . 57 . 6. 1296 . 10.2307/3277984. 3277984 . 5157163 .
• Muniz-Pereira . L.C. . Vieira . F.M. . Luque . J.L. . 2009 . Checklist of helminth parasites of threatened vertebrate species from Brazil . Zootaxa . 2123 . 1–45 . 10.11646/zootaxa.2123.1.1 .
• Santana . E.M. . Jantz . H.E. . Best . T.L. . 2010 . Atelerix albiventris (Erinaceomorpha: Erinaceidae) . Mammalian Species . 42 . 857. 99–110 . 10.1644/857.1. free .

Notes and References

1. Muniz-Pereira et al., 2009, p. 11
2. Santana et al., 2010, p. 106
3. Kinsella, 1974, p. 9
4. Dragoo and Sheffield, 2009, p. 5
5. Veciana. Marina. Chaisiri. Kittiponk. Morand. Serge. Miquel. Jordi. Ribas. Alexis. New biogeographical and morphological information on Physaloptera ngoci Le-Van-Hoa, 1961 (Nematoda: Physalopteridae) in South-east Asian rodents. Parasite. 20. 2013. 23. 1776-1042. 10.1051/parasite/2013023 . free . 23815881. 3718517.
6. Mirzayans, 1971
7. Petri. Leo H.. Life Cycle of Physaloptera rara Hall and Wigdor, 1918 (Nematoda: Spiruroidea) with the Cockroach, Blatella germanica, Serving as the Intermediate Host . 3626145 . Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science . 53 . 3 . September 1950 . 331–337. 10.2307/3626145 .
8. Kinsella, 1988, table 1
9. Leiper. Robert T.. Physaloptera mordens: A new intestinal parasite of man. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 1. 1907. 76–IN1. 0035-9203. 10.1016/S0035-9203(07)90015-2.
10. Lleras. Andres Soriano. Pan. Chiatung. Two cases of Physaloptera infection in man from Colombia. The Journal of Parasitology. 41. 6. 1955. 635. 0022-3395. 10.2307/3274147. 3274147.
11. Makki. Mahsasadat. Dupouy-Camet. Jean. Seyed Sajjadi. Seyed Mansour. Moravec. František. Reza Naddaf. Saied. Mobedi. Iraj. Malekafzali. Hossein. Rezaeian. Mostafa. Mohebali. Mehdi. Kargar. Faranak. Mowlavi. Gholamreza. Human spiruridiasis due to Physaloptera spp. (Nematoda: Physalopteridae) in a grave of the Shahr-e Sukhteh archeological site of the Bronze Age (2800–2500 BC) in Iran. Parasite. 24. 2017. 18. 1776-1042. 10.1051/parasite/2017019 . free . 28573969. 5467177.