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.
Department of Parasitology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic. slapetaj@vfu.cz
J R
JR
Slapeta
D
D
Modrý
J
J
Votýpka
M J
MJ
Jirků
M
M
Oborník
J
J
Lukes
B
B
Koudela
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