Endoparasites of Cetaceans Stranded Along Coasts of Taiwan and Penghu

[[abstract]]We surveyed the parasites on 16 species of 205 dead whales and dolphins stranded along the coasts of Taiwan and Penghu. Eighty four specimens (41%) representing 15 species had endoparasitic infections. Helminthes included 2 genera of acanthocephalans, 3 genera of cestodes, 4 genera of nematodes, and 4 genera of trematodes. The worms were isolated from stomach, intestines, liver, fat tissue, or frontal sinus of the cetaceans. The highest infection rates were by nematodes, Anisakis sp., in 60 cetaceans (29.3%); followed by cestodes Phyllobothrium sp. in 14 (6.8%). Among the parasites, the nematodes Anisakis sp. and Pseudoterranova sp. (1.5%), and the acanthocephalans Bolbosoma sp. (2.9%) are important zoonoses. Anisakis sp., especially, are of public health importance because of the high rates of infection. The prevalence of Anisakis sp. larval infection among 10 species of sea-water fishes (10 fish in each species) was as high as 54%. This is the first record of endoparasite biodiversity among the diverse assemblage of cetaceans from Taiwan and Penghu.