Kiluluma ceratotherii (Nematoda: Strongylida) in a White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) from the United States: Case Report

Abstract

Nematodes of the genus Kiluluma (Strongylidae, Cyathostominae) parasitize African rhinoceros. We describe the case of a one-year-old male white rhinoceros calf that presented with colonic inflammation and hemorrhage at necropsy. The animal had died following a neurological episode. We recovered and identified adult nematodes from the colon using morphology and ITS2 gene sequences as Kiluluma ceratotherii. We also generated nuclear ITS1, 5.8S, ITS2, and mitochondrial cox1 sequences for future studies and deposited them in GenBank (OR142644–OR142653). Since the animal was born in the same zoo and never transported, infection likely originated within the herd. This is the first report of this nematode from a white rhinoceros in the United States.