title: Sarcocystis in muscles of raccoons (Procyon lotor L.).
abstract: Sarcocysts of Sarcocystis sp. were found in 26 (50%) of 52 raccoons (Procyon lotor) from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Maryland. Although only 4 (7.7%) of 52 cardiac muscles specimens were found to contain sarcocysts, 25% to 36.5% of tongue, diaphragm, masseter muscle, and esophagus specimens were found infected. By light microscopy, sarcocyst walls were less than 3 micron thick and had no conspicuous projections; interior septa were indistinct. By transmission electron microscopy, sarcocyst walls had short (mean = 2.7 micron), villus-like protrusions; thin septa were seen within the sarcocysts. The raccoon may be an intermediate host for a Sarcocystis sp. that completes its life cycle in an unidentified, wild carnivore.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D008297:Male; D008396:Maryland; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009132:Muscles / Q000469:parasitology*; D009820:Ohio; D010414:Pennsylvania; D011821:Raccoons / Q000469:parasitology*; D012522:Sarcocystis / Q000145:classification / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D012523:Sarcocystosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*