title: Ultrastructure of Besnoitia besnoiti tissue cysts and bradyzoites.
abstract: Besnoitia besnoiti is an economically important tissue cyst-forming apicomplexan of cattle in Africa and Israel. Tissue cysts and bradyzoites of B. besnoiti from the skin of a naturally infected bull were studied by transmission electron microscopy. Tissue cysts enclosed host cell and bradyzoites. Bradyzoites were 6-7.5 x 1.9-2.3 microm in size and contained organelles found in coccidian merozoites including numerous micronemes, rhoptries, amylopectin granules, and a posteriorly located nucleus. Enigmatic bodies, characteristically found in Besnoitia sp. bradyzoites, were not observed. Therefore, enigmatic bodies should be removed as a generic character of the bradyzoites of Besnoitia species.
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Animal and Natural Resources Institute, Animal Parasitic Diseases, Epidemiology and Systematics Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350, USA. jdubey@anri.barc.usda.gov
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Dubey
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Shkap
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pipano
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fish
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Fritz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D003048:Coccidiosis / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000662:veterinary; D003560:Cysts / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D021745:Sarcocystidae / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*