First Report of the Giant Kidney Worm (Dioctophyme renale) in a Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina)

A male harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) was found moribund on the coast of New Jersey in January of 2003 and died a few hours later in the Marine Mammal Stranding Center. On necropsy, a single female Dioctophyme renale was recovered from the peritoneal cavity, and a tissue mass was found adjacent to the pelvic urethra and urinary bladder. Within this tissue mass were found D. renale ova. This is the first report of this nematode in the harbor seal and in a North American marine mammal.