Molecular and morphological confirmation of Profilicollis altmani as the cause of acanthocephalan peritonitis in California sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis)

• Published in: International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife
• Main Authors: Richard E. Grewelle, Katherine Greenwald, Colleen Young, Melissa Miller
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2023-12-01
• Subjects: Acanthocephalan peritonitis; Emerita analoga; Enhydra lutris; Profilicollis altmani; Profilicollis botulus; Phylogenetics
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224423000627

Acanthocephalan peritonitis (AP; trans-intestinal migration of acanthocephalan parasites into the peritoneal cavity resulting in severe peritonitis), is a common cause of mortality in southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis). Although Profilicollis spp. acanthocephalans have been implicated in these infections, the species causing AP has been an important unresolved question for decades. We used morphological and molecular techniques to characterize acanthocephalans from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and peritoneal omentum of eighty necropsied southern sea otters. Only P. altmani was found to have perforated through the intestinal wall and migrated into the peritoneal cavity of examined sea otters, resulting in AP. Morphological and molecular criteria confirmed that Profilicollis kenti was synonymous with P. altmani. A second Profilicollis sp., likely P. botulus, was present only in the intestinal lumen, did not penetrate through the intestinal wall, and was not associated with AP.