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Halicephalobus gingivalis (Stefanski, 1954) Andrássy, 1984


CGC strain code:

PDL0017


Other codes:

WCUG17, JB-043

Locality:

Potsoil containing peat collected in 1995 near Neustadt, Germany and provided by ASB-Grünland Helmut Aurenz GmbH+Co. Nematodes extracted by Paul De Ley.

Classification:

Secernentea - Rhabditida - Cephalobina - Panagrolaimoidea - Panagrolaimidae

Culture conditions:

Xenic: 1% pure agar or NA + 5 mg/ml cholesterol and E. coli; no attempts to remove other bacteria have been made. Keep at 16-37C!

Health warning:

This nematode is none other than Micronema deletrix. It has been reported to infect horses AND HUMANS, where it can survive in the blood and induce potentially fatal granulomas. Handle with due care - beware of cuts and lesions. See:

Hoogstraten, J.; Connor, D.H. & Neafie, R.C. (1976). Micronemiasis. In: Bedford, C.H. & Connor, D.H. (Eds) Pathology of tropical and extraordinary diseases - an atlas. Volume 2. USA Armed forces Institute of Pathology, Washington DC: 468-470.

Gardiner, C.H. & Cardella, T.A. (1981). Micronema in man: third fatal infection. American Journal of Tropical Medicine aqnd Hygiene, 30: 586-589.

Long-term storage:

Freezing has not been attempted.

Availability:

Available on agar. Requests for this strain will only be granted if they include statements to the following effect:

Description:

Stefanski, W. (1954) Rhabditis gingivalis sp.n. parasite trouvé dans un granulome de la gencive chez un cheval. Acta Parasitologica Polonica, 1: 329-336.

Anderson, R.V. & Bemrick, W.J. (1965) Micronema deletrix n. sp., a saprophagous nematode inhabiting a nasal tumor of a horse. Proceedings of the Helminthological Society of Washington, 32: 74-75.

Identification:

Paul De Ley.

Notes:

Males not yet seen. Very small and prolific females (parthenogenic?). Cultures climax and crash within two-three weeks. According to Gaetan Borgonie, they can be grown at 37C!! 
Last Updated: 27 March 1997