Illustrations for Health Assessment Techniques of the Atlantic Horseshoe Crab, Limulus polyphemus
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Date
2017-03-22
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Johns Hopkins University
Abstract
The Atlantic horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, is a “living fossil” extant for over 340 million years (Shuster et al. 2003) and is very important for conservation and medical research. The dense egg production during spring spawning along the Northeast coast of the United States coincides with the migratory pattern of a number of species of shorebirds (Shuster et al. 2003) providing an essential source of nutrition for threatened species (Botton 2009; Smith 2012). Cells within the hemolymph, or blood, of horseshoe crabs are harvested for biomedical purposes for the production of Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL), a worldwide standard test for detecting minute amounts of bacterial endotoxins in “biologicals, pharmaceutical drugs, and medical devices” (Smith 2012).
No synthetic alternative to LAL exists (Novitsky 2009; Anderson et al. 2013).
Extensive research has been conducted on horseshoe crabs; however, these studies lack guidelines for health examinations, hemolymph evaluations, and necropsy techniques. Unfortunately, the increasing demands of using horseshoe crabs for fishing bait and for hemolymph extraction for LAL production is leading to population decline. Veterinarians and researchers need to know how to properly examine the health of the horseshoe crab and monitor health to keep the species thriving. This study fills that gap through literature research and performed necropsies, of Limulus polyphemus.
The results of this study include multiple detailed illustrations explaining internal and external anatomy, common disease states, anatomical sex comparison, inhabiting organisms, hemolymph extraction techniques, book gill anatomy, circulatory system diagram and a necropsy technique guide. This guide explains in detail how to perform a necropsy of the horseshoe crab and the associated anatomy seen during the dissection. It also explains which necropsy approach is best under specific circumstances and what steps to take to preserve important anatomical structures. There has never been a standardized guideline for necropsy techniques, and this series describes the procedure in a comprehensive, anatomically faithful, and sequential manner. These illustrations will help create a better overall understanding of horseshoe crab anatomy and health leading to proper diagnosis of a disease, thus contributing to proper health maintenance and better conservation strategies.
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Atlantic horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, Illustrations, Health Assessment Techniques, Necropsy, Dissection, Hemolymph