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Morphologic and molecular characteristics of Sarcocystis atraii n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Sarcocystidae) infecting the common coot (Fulica atra) from Egypt

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Abstract

A single morphologic type of Sarcocystis cysts found in two out of 43 examined common coots, Fulica atra, is considered to represent a new species for which the name Sarcocystis atraii n. sp. is proposed and its description is provided. Coots were hunted from the vicinity of Brolos Lake located at KafrElsheikh province, Egypt. The structural morphology of the revealed sarcocysts was described using light and transmission electron microscopy. Sarcocysts were found in the leg and thigh muscles. The cysts were microscopic and measured 165–850 µm in length × 50–85 µm in width. Histologically; the sarcocyst wall was wavy and had minute undulations. Ultrastructurally, it measured 1–3 µm in thickness and possessed many mushroom-like villar protrusions sometimes originating from other mushroom-like villar protrusions that measured approximately 0.5–2 µm in length and up to 2 µm in width, with the presence of electron dense ground substance of 300 nm to 1 µm thick. The brady-zoites were elongated, banana-shaped and measured 7.5–14 × 1.5–2.5 µm, with centrally or terminally located nuclei. The ultrastructural features of the cyst wall belonged to type 24. On the basis of sequencing and phylogenic analyses for 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA genes and ITS-1 region; S. atraii n. sp. is considered a genetically distinct species, being most closely related to avian Sarcocystis spp. whose definitive hosts are predatory mammals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Parasitology and Animal Diseases Department, Veterinary Research Division, National Research Centre, 33 El Bohouth St. (former El-Tahrir St.), Dokki, P.O. 12622, Giza, Egypt

    Ahmed El-Morsey & Mohamed M. Abdel-Aziz

  2. Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, KafrElsheikh University, Egypt

    Mahmoud El-Seify & Abdel-Razik Y. Desouky

  3. Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Beni-Suef University, 62511, Beni-Suef, Egypt

    Khaled Mohamed El-Dakhly

  4. Department of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, KafrElsheikh University, Egypt

    Samy Kasem

  5. Department of Pathology and Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, KafrElsheikh University, Egypt

    Walied Abdo

  6. Department of Pathology and Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, 83523, Egypt

    Mohie Haridy

  7. Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu, 501-1193, Japan

    Ahmed El-Morsey, Khaled Mohamed El-Dakhly, Walied Abdo, Mohie Haridy, Hiroki Sakai & Tokuma Yanai

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  1. Ahmed El-Morsey
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  2. Mahmoud El-Seify
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  4. Mohamed M. Abdel-Aziz
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  5. Khaled Mohamed El-Dakhly
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  6. Samy Kasem
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  7. Walied Abdo
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  8. Mohie Haridy
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  9. Hiroki Sakai
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  10. Tokuma Yanai
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Correspondence to Tokuma Yanai.

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El-Morsey, A., El-Seify, M., Desouky, AR.Y. et al. Morphologic and molecular characteristics of Sarcocystis atraii n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Sarcocystidae) infecting the common coot (Fulica atra) from Egypt. Acta Parasit. 60, 691–699 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1515/ap-2015-0098

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