Morphological Study of the Horsehair Worm, Chordodes koreensis (Nematomorpha: Gordiida), Isolated in Canine Vomitus

초록

This report deals with the morphology of the horsehair worm isolated in canine vomitus. We received a worm in living status. The worm was investigated by using light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for species determination. Grossly, the worm was blackish brown in color and 215 mm in length and 1.2 mm in maximum width. Microscopically, the worm was composed of epicuticle, cuticle, epidermis, muscle, mesenchyme, pseudocoel, nerve cord and gut. But the genital organ was not developed. The SEM study revealed that the cuticle contains five types of elevated structures called areoles. The cuticular surface of the parasite is covered by an abundant type of areoles: simple areole, tubercle areole, bulging areole, crowned areole, circumcluster areole. The observed characteristics of the specimen in this study are same to those of genus Chordodes. And we concluded that it is a male of Chordodes koreensis belong to Gordiida. Only nine species of freshwater Nematomorpha are known from Korea, two of which belong to the genus Chordodes. But the case of parasitic horsehair worm in dogs do not recorded, and this is a first gordiosis of dog in Korea.

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