Andrea Springer , Christin Krüger , Christina Strube , Dirk Steinhauer
{"title":"Worms and reproductive failure: First evidence of transplacental Halicephalobus transmission leading to repeated equine abortion","authors":"Andrea Springer , Christin Krüger , Christina Strube , Dirk Steinhauer","doi":"10.1016/j.crpvbd.2025.100309","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Infections with facultatively parasitic <em>Halicephalobus</em> spp. nematodes are usually fatal in animals and humans. Here, transplacental transmission of a species of <em>Halicephalobus</em> is described for the first time, causing reproductive failure of a mare during two consecutive gestations. In both cases, histology showed adult and larval nematodes in the placenta and various foetal organs, without signs of generalized halicephalobosis in the mare. An identical 18S rRNA-ITS1-5.8S rRNA-ITS2 sequence generated from both placentas showed considerable divergence from a previously sequenced equine isolate, suggesting cryptic diversity among <em>Halicephalobus</em> isolates in vertebrates. This ubiquitous nematode may be a cause of equine abortion associated with considerable economic loss. Future research should aim at exploring effective treatment options and clarifying the true taxonomic diversity within the genus <em>Halicephalobus</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94311,"journal":{"name":"Current research in parasitology & vector-borne diseases","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100309"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Current research in parasitology & vector-borne diseases","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667114X2500069X","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"PARASITOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Infections with facultatively parasitic Halicephalobus spp. nematodes are usually fatal in animals and humans. Here, transplacental transmission of a species of Halicephalobus is described for the first time, causing reproductive failure of a mare during two consecutive gestations. In both cases, histology showed adult and larval nematodes in the placenta and various foetal organs, without signs of generalized halicephalobosis in the mare. An identical 18S rRNA-ITS1-5.8S rRNA-ITS2 sequence generated from both placentas showed considerable divergence from a previously sequenced equine isolate, suggesting cryptic diversity among Halicephalobus isolates in vertebrates. This ubiquitous nematode may be a cause of equine abortion associated with considerable economic loss. Future research should aim at exploring effective treatment options and clarifying the true taxonomic diversity within the genus Halicephalobus.