Suspect Nasitrema sp. Brain Lesions in a Pacific White-Sided Dolphin (Lagenorrhynchus obliquidens)
R. J. Lewis, DVM
A young, male, Pacific White-Sided Dolphin was found disoriented
and circling. During its twenty-one months of captivity, the animal responded poorly and
appeared unable to identify its trainer. Following a short period of reduced appetite but few
other clinical signs, the animal was found listing to one side and subsequently died. Thorough
post-mortem examination showed few body fat stores and evidence of septicemia due to
Edwardsiella tarda. Microscopic examination of the brain revealed numerous parasitic ova
in the right medial frontal area of the cerebrum and in the left posterior cingulate gyrus.
Large, irregular areas of polioencephalomalacia were associated with the ova and adjacent to
areas in which ova were present. The morphologic appearance of these ova and their location were
strongly suggestive of Nasitrema sp. It is speculated that these chronic lesions may have been
responsible for the initial disorientation, learning disabilities and predisposition to
bacterial infection.