Abstract
Ultrastructural studies onLeptomonas ctenocephali ofCtenocephalides canis andLeptomonas species ofOrchopeas h. howardi andPalaeopsylla m. minor have demonstrated the presence of characteristic round and oval parasites with a regularly indented plasma membrane. Such forms were found only as unattached parasites in the lumen of the pylorus, hindgut, and rectum amongst parasites which showed a normal kinetoplastid plasmalemma. The plasmalemma indentations are regular in their distribution around the periphery of the parasite, being separated usually by a fixed number of subpellicular microtubules in each “cyst-like form”, some subpellicular microtubules are displaced from the periphery at the point where the plasmalemma is indented furthest into the cytoplasm. It is suggested that these forms meet the criteria necessary to be characterised as “cyst-like forms” despite the apparent absence of a true cyst wall.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brooker B (1972) Modifications in the arrangement of the pellicular microtubules ofCrithidia fasciculata in the gut ofAnopheles gambiae. Z Parasitenkd 40:271–280
Gibbs AJ (1948) The tolerance of the metacyclic and flagellate forms ofLeptomonas ctenocephali Fantham to variations of humidity and salinity. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 42:89–93
Gibbs AJ (1951)Leptomonas capsularis n.sp. and other flagellates parasitic inCletus ochraceus (Hemiptera). Parasitology 41:128–133
Gibbs AJ (1957)Leptomonas serpens n.sp. parasitic in the digestive tract and salivary glands ofNezara viriduda (Pentatomidae) and in the sap ofSolanum lycopersicum (tomato) and other plants. Parasitology 47:297–303
Laugé G, Nishioka RA (1977) Ultrastructural study of the relations betweenLeptomonas oncopelti (Noguchi and Tilden) (Protozoa Trypanosomatidae) and the rectal wall of adults ofOncopeltus fasciatus Dallas (Hemiptera Lygaeidae). J Morphol 154:291–305
Mackinnon DJ (1909) Note on two new flagellate parasites in fleas “Herpetomonas ctenopthalmae” n.sp., and “Crithidia histrichopsyllae”, n.sp. Parasitology 2:288–296
McGhee RB, hanson WL (1962) Growth and reproduction ofLeptomonas oncopelti in the milkweed bug,Oncopeltus fasciatus. J Protozool 9:488–493
Mehlhorn H, Schaub GA, Peters W, Haberkorn A (1979) Electron microscope studies onBlastocrithidia triatomae Cerisola et al. 1971 (Trypanosomatidae). Tropenmed Parasitol 30:289–300
Molyneux DH, Ashford RW (1975) Observations on a trypanosomatid flagellate in the fleaPeromyscopsylla silvatica spectabilis. Ann Parasitol Hum Comp 50:265–274
Molyneux DH, Croft SL, Lavin DR (to be published) Studies on the host-parasite relationships ofLeptomonas (Protozoa: Kinetoplastida) of Siphonaptera. J Nat Hist
Porter A (1911) The structure and life history ofCrithidia pulicis n.sp. parasitic in the alimentary tract of the human flea,Pulex irritans. Parasitology 4:237–254
Schaub GA, Pretsch M (to be published) Excystation ofBlastocrithidia triatomae. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg
Vickerman K, Preston TM (1976) Comparative cell biology of kinetoplastid flagellates. In: Lumsden WHR, Evans DA (eds), Biology of the Kinetoplastida, vol 1. Academic Press, London New York San Francisco, p 35
Wallace FG (1966) The trypanosomatid parasites of insects and arthropods. Exp Parasitol 18:124–193
Wenyon CM (1912) Experiments on the behaviour ofLeishmania and allied flagellates in bugs and fleas, with some remarks on previous work. J Lond School Trop Med 2:13–26
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Molyneux, D.H., Croft, S.L. Studies on the ultrastructure of candidate “cysts” inLeptomonas species of siphonaptera. Z. Parasitenkd. 63, 233–239 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00931985
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00931985