Ultrastructural study of the development of Sarcocystis singaporensis sarcocysts in the muscles of its rat host.
Laboratory rats fed sporocysts of Sarcocystis singaporensis (Zaman & Colley, 1975) Zaman & Colley, 1976 originating from Singapore were euthanized 22, 23, 33 and 80 days later. Sporocysts were extracted from feces of either naturally or laboratory-infected Python reticulatus. Electron microscopically examined longue and esophageal muscles yielded images of successive developing stages of sarcocysts. The primary wall evolved from a continuous thin layer into folds and later, into villar protrusions. At all stages the wall was interrupted by pinocytotic-like indentations. Young sarcocysts contained only metrocytes, they divided by endodyogeny into daughter metrocytes. The first bradyzoites appeared only 33 d.p.i. Sarcocysts by 80 d.p.i. were enclosed in a fully differentiated primary wall and contained almost entirely bradyzoites.
Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76-100, Israel. paperna@agri.huji.ac.il
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D000818:Animals; D017821:Boidae / Q000469:parasitology; D004947:Esophagus / Q000469:parasitology*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000469:parasitology*; D051381:Rats; D012522:Sarcocystis / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012523:Sarcocystosis / Q000469:parasitology*; D014059:Tongue / Q000469:parasitology*