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Cryptosporidium sp. of the starred lizardAgama stellio: Ultrastructure and life cycle

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Abstract

The life cycle ofCryptosporidium sp. in the gut of its reptilian hostAgama stellio was studied by electron microscopy. The parasite was located in a parasitophorous vacuole formed at the microvillous surface of the gut epithelium and was separated from the host-cell cytoplasm by a microfibrillar mesh and a dark band. One type of merogony was observed that produced eight merozoites. The microgamete lacked a flagellum and possessed a unique, anterior adhesive zone. The macrogamete had two types of wall-forming bodies corresponding to those of other coccidia. Sporulated oocysts possessed either a thick or a thin wall. Oocysts were similar in size to those ofCryptosporidium in other reptiles, including another agamed species, and the different life-cycle stages conformed ultrastructurally with those of isolates found in mammals and birds. This is the first detailed electron microscopic study ofCryptosporidium in a reptile.

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Abbreviations

A :

amylopectin granules

AO :

attachment organelle

AZ :

adhesive zone

B :

basal body

C :

crystalline body

DB :

dense band

er :

endoplasmic reticulum

HC :

host cell

FM :

filamentous mesh

L :

lamellae

Lp :

lipid vacuole

M :

merozoites

Mg :

microgamete

Mn :

micronemes

Mt :

microtubules

N :

nucleus

Nu :

nucleolus

OL :

oocyst layer

Pm :

membrane of the parasitophorous envelope

PV :

parasitophorous vacuole

r :

rhoptries

R :

ring-shaped fusion

RB :

residual body

Sp :

sporozoite

Su :

suture

U :

oocyst outer membrane

WF 1 :

wall-forming body type 1

WF 2 :

wall-forming body type 2

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel

    K. Ostrovska

  2. Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Hebrew University, 76-100, Rehovot, Israel

    I. Paperna

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  1. K. Ostrovska
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Ostrovska, K., Paperna, I. Cryptosporidium sp. of the starred lizardAgama stellio: Ultrastructure and life cycle. Parasitol Res 76, 712–720 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00931092

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