Disease of the Common Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus): Crassicaudiosis of the Urinary System

Publication Type:Journal Article
Year of Publication:1986
Authors:Lambertsen, RH
Journal:Journal of Mammalogy
Volume:67
Pagination:353-366
Date Published:1986
ISBN Number:00222372
Keywords:Balaenoptera physalus
Abstract:

Eighty-seven fin whales taken from the North Atlantic were systematically necropsied to investigate the occurrence, levels, and mechanisms of disease which could cause mortality in this species. Crassicauda infection was found to be prevalent, deeply invasive, and probably capable of causing death. The giant nematode Crassicauda boopis was present in 82 (94.3%) of the whales examined. Adult C. boopis presented with their tails in the renal ductwork and their bodies in the renal veins and vena cava. The bodies of the worms were typically enveloped by exuberent tissue reactions which in some whales obstructed multiple renal veins. Transmission of this parasite was by environmental contamination and involved shedding of larvae in the urine. Ingestion of larvae, followed by somatic larval migration to the kidney, was strongly suggested by the finding of extensive inflammatory lesions of the mesenteric arteries in which nematode larvae occurred. From these observations it appears that truly severe C. boopis infections in fin whales could be lethal by inducing congestive renal failure, and that moderate infections cause extensive injury to the vascular system. This implies that the yearly feeding migration of fin whales into circumpolar waters is associated with a definite pathological risk.

URL:http://www.jstor.org/stable/1380889
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