Acanthocheilonema spirocauda is a species of filarial nematode in the family Onchocercidae. It is a parasite of seals whose adult stages primarily inhabit the right atrium and ventricle of the heart and the pulmonary arteries. A. spirocauda infects several species of phocid seals, with the harbour seal among its best-studied definitive hosts. The full life cycle of A. spirocauda is not yet completely understood. The seal louse (Echinophthirius horridus) is considered a likely obligate intermediate host and vector, with larval stages of the nematode having been demonstrated within the louse. References