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Experimental Parasitology Apr 2007The morphology of the cyst wall of Sarcocystis has unique characteristics that can be used in species identification. To find a suitable way to preserve Sarcocystis cyst...
UNLABELLED
The morphology of the cyst wall of Sarcocystis has unique characteristics that can be used in species identification. To find a suitable way to preserve Sarcocystis cyst samples for species identification, by light microscopy and electron microscopy, we recorded the morphological changes in the cysts of Sarcocystis suihominis and Sarcocystis miescheriana from pig muscle, induced by storage at -20 degrees C. Comparisons were made between fresh cysts and those subjected to frozen storage for periods of 3 days, 20 days and 30 days.
RESULTS
cyst wall of the two Sarcocystis species appeared unaffected by storage. There was no obvious change in the length, nor in the width of the protrusions after storage (P>0.05), but the structure of the bradyzoite in the sarcocyst was in many cases disintegrated at -20 degrees C in 20 days for S. miescheriana and 30 days for S. suihominis. To our knowledge this is the first report that Sarcocystis cyst in muscle can be stored at -20 degrees C before and remain suitable for ultrastructural morphological study. Consequently, this paper proposes freezing as a convenient storage method for samples used in taxonomic studies of Sarcocystis.
Topics: Animals; Cryopreservation; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; Muscle, Skeletal; Sarcocystis; Swine; Time Factors
PubMed: 17126836
DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2006.10.003 -
Veterinary Parasitology Nov 2006In the present work, the species-specific identification of Taeniid spp. cysticerci and sarcocystis cysts isolated from infected pigs and cattle was achieved by PCR. In...
In the present work, the species-specific identification of Taeniid spp. cysticerci and sarcocystis cysts isolated from infected pigs and cattle was achieved by PCR. In particular: (i) multiplex-PCR derived from HDP2 DNA fragment, specific for Taenia saginata/Taenia solium; (ii) PCRs and PCR-RFLPs of the rDNA internal transcribed spacers 1 and 2 (ITS1 and ITS2) for the differential diagnosis of taeniids; (iii) PCR derived from the 18S rRNA gene and sequencing, specific for Sarcoystis spp. The combined application of these three PCR protocols provided an unequivocally specific diagnosis of T. saginata, T. solium, T. hydatigena, Sarcocystis hominis and Sarcocystis suihominis, and may have practical application in the identification of calcified degenerating or morphologically dubious cysts, for example in the slaughter house situation or in human biopsy samples.
Topics: Animals; Base Sequence; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; DNA, Helminth; Diagnosis, Differential; Molecular Sequence Data; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; Sarcocystis; Sarcocystosis; Sensitivity and Specificity; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; Species Specificity; Swine; Swine Diseases; Taenia saginata; Taenia solium; Taeniasis
PubMed: 16870346
DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2006.06.009 -
Veterinary Parasitology Dec 2004Food- and waterborne coccidia including Cryptosporidium parvum, Cyclospora cayetanensis, Sarcocystis hominis and Sarcocystis suihominis, and Isospora belli are... (Review)
Review
Food- and waterborne coccidia including Cryptosporidium parvum, Cyclospora cayetanensis, Sarcocystis hominis and Sarcocystis suihominis, and Isospora belli are cyst-forming apicomplexan protozoa that cause intracellular infections, predominantly in the epithelial cells of the intestine. They are transmitted by oocysts from person-to-person by the fecal-oral route or via contaminated water or food. The most common symptom of infection is diarrhea, however, asymptomatic infections occur. Infections are associated with intestinal inflammation, with pathological lesions such as villus blunting, and abnormal function such as malabsorption. Mild-to-moderate, self-limiting diarrhea is common in healthy individuals ingesting infective stages of these organisms. However, patients with immune dysfunction can have severe intestinal injury and prolonged diarrhea. Diagnosis in many cases is made by a microscopic examination of the stool, and the use of appropriate staining techniques, but more recently molecular methods for detection are used increasingly. Effective antimicrobial treatment for prolonged infection in immunocompromised patients is available for most of these infections. These gastrointestinal coccidial pathogens have important similarities in epidemiology, disease pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment. Although there are many other cyst-forming coccidia of public health, veterinary and/or economic importance, discussion in this chapter will be limited to C. cayetanensis, as an important example of the group. Aspects of the biology, epidemiology, diagnosis, disease, treatment and control are considered. This parasite is considered to be an emerging pathogen. From 1990 to 2000, there were 11 foodborne outbreaks of cyclosporosis in North America that affected at least 3600 people. There are many outstanding questions regarding this parasite and under-reporting is common because general diagnostic methods for intestinal parasites are inadequate for detection of Cyclospora.
Topics: Animals; Anti-Infective Agents; Cyclospora; Cyclosporiasis; Disease Outbreaks; Food Parasitology; Humans; North America; Oocysts; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination; Water; Zoonoses
PubMed: 15567580
DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2004.09.011 -
Clinical Microbiology Reviews Oct 2004Sarcocystis species are intracellular protozoan parasites with an intermediate-definitive host life cycle based on a prey-predator relationship. Asexual stages develop... (Review)
Review
Sarcocystis species are intracellular protozoan parasites with an intermediate-definitive host life cycle based on a prey-predator relationship. Asexual stages develop in intermediate hosts after they ingest the oocyst stage from definitive-host feces and terminate with the formation of intramuscular cysts (sarcocysts). Sarcocysts in meat eaten by a definitive host initiate sexual stages in the intestine that terminate in oocysts excreted in the feces. Most Sarcocystis species infect specific hosts or closely related host species. For example, humans and some primates are definitive hosts for Sarcocystis hominis and S. suihominis after eating raw meat from cattle and pigs, respectively. The prevalence of intestinal sarcocystosis in humans is low and is only rarely associated with illness, except in volunteers who ingest large numbers of sarcocysts. Cases of infection of humans as intermediate hosts, with intramuscular cysts, number less than 100 and are of unknown origin. The asexual stages, including sarcocysts, can stimulate a strong inflammatory response. Livestock have suffered acute debilitating infections, resulting in abortion and death or chronic infections with failure to grow or thrive. This review provides a summary of Sarcocystis biology, including its morphology, life cycle, host specificity, prevalence, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention strategies, for human and food animal infections.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic; Muscular Diseases; Sarcocystis; Sarcocystosis
PubMed: 15489353
DOI: 10.1128/CMR.17.4.894-902.2004 -
Zhongguo Ji Sheng Chong Xue Yu Ji Sheng... Apr 2004
Topics: Adult; Aged; Animals; Feces; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Sarcocystosis; Swine; Swine Diseases
PubMed: 15281446
DOI: No ID Found -
DTW. Deutsche Tierarztliche... Aug 2003Livestock management influences the infection risk with parasites. Extensive outdoor management increases the well being of the animals, but may also increase the...
Livestock management influences the infection risk with parasites. Extensive outdoor management increases the well being of the animals, but may also increase the infection risk with vector or intermediate host transmitted parasites. Several parasites can be transmitted by food. Trichinellosis again represents an increasing threat to human health by newly discovered species, new reservoir hosts and increasing meat import from eastern Europe. Tapeworm infections with Taenia saginata are more frequent than reported in the official statistics. The accurate prevalence and ways of distribution are not known. Toxoplasma gondii is a serious threat to pregnant, non-immune women and their babies. Cat faeces and pork meat are the most important sources of infection. Information, prevention of transmission and diagnostic examination of endangered persons are necessary to minimise the infection risk. Sarcocystis suihominis forms cysts in muscles of pigs, which may cause gastrointestinal symptoms after oral ingestion. In most cases however this protozoan parasite is not or only transiently harmful.
Topics: Animal Husbandry; Animals; Consumer Product Safety; Disease Reservoirs; Food Parasitology; Humans; Parasitic Diseases, Animal; Zoonoses
PubMed: 14535062
DOI: No ID Found -
The Journal of Parasitology Dec 2002A polymerase chain reaction-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) approach is used to examine Sarcocystis cruzi-like taxa from the atypical intermediate...
A PCR-based RFLP analysis of Sarcocystis cruzi (Protozoa: Sarcocystidae) in Yunnan Province, PR China, reveals the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) as a natural intermediate host.
A polymerase chain reaction-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) approach is used to examine Sarcocystis cruzi-like taxa from the atypical intermediate host, water buffalo, in Yunnan, People's Republic of China. The loci examined lie within the 18S rRNA gene. A total of 15 water buffalo isolates are compared with those of 10 S. cruzi from cattle. RFLP patterns for the S. cruzi isolates from cattle and the S. cruzi-like taxon from water buffalo are found to be identical with all the 12 restriction enzymes used. Interpopulation variation between samples from Kunming and Gengma (Yunnan) is found to be undetectable at these loci for both S. cruzi and the S. cruzi-like taxon. But RFLPs are found between the S. cruzi taxa and S. suihominis from pigs at the same study sites. These findings support the hypothesis that S. cruzi is able to use the water buffalo as an intermediate host and is not restricted to cattle as was previously supposed.
Topics: Animals; Buffaloes; Cattle; China; Disease Vectors; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; Sarcocystis; Sarcocystosis; Swine
PubMed: 12537125
DOI: 10.1645/0022-3395(2002)088[1259:APBRAO]2.0.CO;2 -
The Journal of Parasitology Aug 2001DNA templates were extracted from isolates of Sarcocystis hominis-like cysts collected from cattle and water buffalo, as well as from Sarcocystis fusiformis cysts and...
DNA templates were extracted from isolates of Sarcocystis hominis-like cysts collected from cattle and water buffalo, as well as from Sarcocystis fusiformis cysts and Sarcocystis suihominis cysts. The 18S rRNA genes were amplified using DNA from a single cyst as the templates. Approximately 1,367-1,440 bp sequences were obtained. The sequence difference in isolates of Sarcocystis hominis-like cysts from water buffaloes, and isolates of S. hominis cysts from cattle were very low, only about 0.1%, much lower than the lowest value (1.7%) among different species. Combined with their morphological structure, these sequence data indicate that the 4 isolates from cattle and water buffalo might be the same species, i.e., S. hominis, suggesting that both cattle and water buffalo may serve as the intermediate hosts for this parasite. Apparently, this is the first report using a single cyst to do such work and is a useful way to distinguish the Sarcocystis cyst in an intermediate host that may be simultaneously infected by several different Sarcocystis species.
Topics: Animals; Buffaloes; Cattle; China; Female; RNA, Ribosomal, 18S; Sarcocystis; Sarcocystosis; Swine
PubMed: 11534667
DOI: 10.1645/0022-3395(2001)087[0934:IOSHLP]2.0.CO;2 -
Journal of the Egyptian Society of... Dec 1998An unidentified coccidian parasite was observed in saline faecal smears of five immunocompromised patients. Very few of these organisms were observed in the oocystic...
An unidentified coccidian parasite was observed in saline faecal smears of five immunocompromised patients. Very few of these organisms were observed in the oocystic stage. They were oval in shape with rounded edges and contained two sporulated sporocysts, 7.5-9.5 um in diameter with a nipple like projection. They are smaller than sporocysts of Sarcocystis hominis and suihominis. For further identification, the modified Ziehl-Neelsen stain was used. The sporocysts showed variability in staining. Most of them were unstained while those stained were more or less rounded with well defined four crescent shape sporozoites and a residual body but with an unstained cyst wall. Sporocysts were positively stained by phenol auramine which had the advantage of staining the cyst wall. Other coccidial parasites encountered in this study were Cryptosporidium parvum (18.2%), Cyclospora cayetanensis (1.8%) and Isospora belli (0.9%) they were differentiated from this organism. SEM showed oval sporocysts with thickened ridges on its surface dividing it into plates which is a characteristic feature of the family Sarcocystidae. From the above characters, the features of this parasite is suggested to be a Sarcocystis like Protozoa.
Topics: Animals; Coccidia; Coccidiosis; Feces; Humans; Immunocompromised Host; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
PubMed: 9914703
DOI: No ID Found -
The Journal of Veterinary Medical... Mar 1998Sarcoystis suihominis was detected for the first time in Japan from the heart and diaphragm of 5 out 600 older culled breeding pigs slaughtered in Saitama Prefecture,...
Sarcoystis suihominis was detected for the first time in Japan from the heart and diaphragm of 5 out 600 older culled breeding pigs slaughtered in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Fresh cysts were 1,080-2,040 x 106-170 microns in size. Bradysoites measured 15 x 4 microns on average. The cyst wall was usually observed thick, 4-6 microns, and striated, but occasionally thin and smooth according to the difference in sectioning angle and in portion of cysts. Scanning electron microscopy showed that many palisade-like villar protrusions, 6-6 x 0.3-0.5 microns in size, were closely folded onto the surface of cyst. A small number of microtubules were seen in the core of protrusion. No dogs nor domestic cats fed with 20 fresh cysts each excreted oocysts or sporocysts in the feces throughout the experimental period of 30 days.
Topics: Animals; Cats; Diaphragm; Dogs; Heart; Japan; Myocardium; Sarcocystis; Sarcocystosis; Swine; Swine Diseases
PubMed: 9560777
DOI: 10.1292/jvms.60.307