Histopathologic features of naturally occurring hepatozoonosis in wild martens (Martes melampus) in Japan.
Nodular lesions containing Hepatozoon sp. schizonts or merozoite-gametocytes were found in the tissues of 67 (96%) of 70 wild-caught martens (Martes melampus) examined in Gifu, Japan, 1991 and 1992. The heart was the most commonly parasitized organ (96%), followed by the perirenal adipose tissue (36%); the diaphragm, mesentery, tongue, omentum and perisplenic adipose tissue generally had a prevalence of 10 to 15%. In the heart, two types of nodular lesions were differentiated based on developmental stages: nodules containing schizonts and nodules consisting of an accumulation of phagocytes containing merozoites or gamonts. Under electron microscopy, mature schizonts contained membrane-bound merozoites with a single nucleus and small scattered electron-dense cytoplasmic granules in the schizont nodules; the merozoites and gamonts were engulfed in a phagosome-like vacuole of phagocytes with the nucleus compressed to one side due to the parasite in the merozoite-gamont nodule.
Yanai
T
T
Department of Veterinary Pathology, Gifu University, Japan.
Tomita
A
A
Masegi
T
T
Ishikawa
K
K
Iwasaki
T
T
Yamazoe
K
K
Ueda
K
K
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D002335:Carnivora / Q000469:parasitology*; D003048:Coccidiosis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D003964:Diaphragm / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D016783:Eucoccidiida / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000469:parasitology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007564:Japan; D008099:Liver / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D008168:Lung / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008643:Mesentery / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009852:Omentum / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D011529:Protozoan Infections, Animal / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D014059:Tongue / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology