Eimeria telekii n.sp. (Apicomplexa: Coccidia) from Lemniscomys striatus (Rodentia: Muridae): morphology, pathology and phylogeny.
Using a combination of morphological, life-cycle and molecular data, we describe a new apicomplexan parasite Eimeria telekii n.sp. from a striped grass mouse Lemniscomys striatus captured in Kenya. Oocysts are oval to spherical or ellipsoidal, 20.4 x 15.7 (15.5-25.0 x 12.0-20.0) microm with a colourless, smooth and bilayered wall. Sporocysts are ellipsoidal, 11.2 x 7.8 (10.0-12.0 x 7.0-9.0) microm with a small Stieda body and granular sporocyst residuum and contain 2 elongated, banana-shaped sporozoites with a single refractile body. Life-cycle, pathogenicity and host specificity of this parasite were studied in laboratory-bred Lemniscomys barbarus and BALB/c mice. Two asexual stages and the sexual phase took place within the enterocytes of the caecum and colon of L. barbarus but not in inoculated BALB/c mice. An infectious dose of 5000 oocysts caused severe clinical illness and mortality in 2/2 (100%) L. barbarus. Phylogenetic analysis of the small subunit rRNA gene of E. telekii and members of the genera Eimeria, Cyclospora and Isospora placed E. telekii within the eimerian rodent clade.
Slapeta
J R
JR
Department of Parasitology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic. slapetaj@vfu.cz
Modrý
D
D
Votýpka
J
J
Jirků
M J
MJ
Oborník
M
M
Lukes
J
J
Koudela
B
B
D000818:Animals; D002432:Cecum / Q000469:parasitology; D003106:Colon / Q000473:pathology; D004539:Eimeria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D007630:Kenya; D008018:Life Cycle Stages; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009115:Muridae / Q000469:parasitology*; D010270:Parasite Egg Count / Q000662:veterinary; D010802:Phylogeny; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry
D012335:RNA, Ribosomal