ArticleScientific reports2022
Novel 3D in situ visualization of seal heartworm (Acanthocheilonema spirocauda) larvae in the seal louse (Echinophthirius horridus) by X-ray microCT.
Article in Scientific reports, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Another piece of the puzzle: analysis of Acanthocheilonema spirocauda larvae from its presumed intermediate host the seal louse (Echinophthirius horridus).Scientific reports · 2026Article
- A new filarial nematode,Current research in parasitology & vector-borne diseases · 2026Article
- The ectoparasitic seal louse, Echinophthirius horridus, relies on a sealed tracheal system and spiracle closing apparatus for underwater respiration.Communications biology · 2025Article
- A review of filarial nematodes parasitizing tick vectors: unraveling global patterns in species diversity, host associations, and interactions with tick-borne pathogens.Parasites & vectors · 2025Review
- The Diffusion Diaries: Diffusible Iodine-Based Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography for Vertebrate Natural History Specimens.Integrative organismal biology (Oxford, England) · 2025Article
- High prevalence and low intensity of Echinophthirius horridus infection in seals revealed by high effort sampling.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Heartworm and seal louse: Trends in prevalence, characterisation of impact and transmission pathways in a unique parasite assembly on seals in the North and Baltic Sea.International journal for parasitology. Parasites and wildlife · 2024Article
- Parasite escape mechanisms drive morphological diversification in avian lice.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2024Article
- Heartworms inParasitology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The seal heartworm Acanthocheilonema spirocauda (Nematoda: Onchocercidae) parasitizes the heart and pulmonary arteries of various phocid seals of the Northern Hemisphere. Over many decades, potential vectors of this parasite have been discussed, and to this date, the life cycle is not fully known. The seal louse Echinophthirius horridus (Anoplura: Echinophthiriidae) is an obligatory, permanent and haematophagous ectoparasite of phocids that has been hypothesized to function as obligate intermediate host for A. spirocauda. We examined 11 adult E. horridus specimens collected from stranded harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in rehabilitation at the Sealcentre Pieterburen by X-ray microCT imaging, aiming to illustrate larval A. spirocauda infection sites in situ. In three of these specimens, thread-like larvae were detected in insect organs. Detailed imaging of the most infected louse revealed a total of 54 A. spirocauda larvae located either in fat bodies or the haemocoel. Histological analysis of the same specimen illustrated nematode cross-sections, confirming X-ray microCT data. The current data strongly suggest that E. horridus is a natural intermediate host for A. spirocauda. Moreover, we demonstrate the potential of X-ray microCT-based imaging as a non-destructive method to analyze host-parasite interactions, especially in the neglected field of marine mammal parasitology.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.