Based on microscopic examination of the brains of seven wild-caught nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum), we observed a severe meningoencephalitis associated with numerous parasitic granulomas. The parasites were larval nematodes with morphologic characteristics of the Superfamily Dracunculoidea. Although meningeal larval aggregates were associated with chronic inflammation, additional parasitic nodules found on the endocardial surface and perimandibular region did not provoke an inflammatory response. Neither the route of infection nor life cycle were determined.
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1 July 1993
Parasitic Meningoencephalitis in Nurse Sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum)
Kelly M. Credille,
Linda K. Johnson,
Renate Reimschuessel
Journal of Wildlife Diseases
Vol. 29 • No. 3
July 1993
Vol. 29 • No. 3
July 1993
Dracunculoidea
elasmobranch
Ginglymostoma cirratum
meningoencephalitis
nematode larvae
nurse shark