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Developmental stages of Hepatozoon gracilis (Wenyon, 1909) comb. nov., a parasite of the Egyptian skink, Mabuya quinquetaeniata

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Abstract

Developmental stages of Hepatozoon gracilis (Wenyon, 1909) comb. nov. are described from the tissues of Mabuya quinquetaeniata, an Egyptian skink, and from the mosquito Culex pipiens molestus. Schizogony occurred in the parenchyma cells of the skink liver. There were two types of schizonts: one with 25–50, average 40, micromerozoites and the other with 3–16, average 11, macromerozoites. Gametocytes developed in erythrocytes and measured 18–22.5 Μm in length and 0.9–1.4 Μm in width (mean of 21.3×1.14). After syzygy in the haemocoel of the mosquito, the microgamont produces four uniflagellated microgametes (8×3 Μm with a flagellum of about 22.5 Μm); on day 3 post infection (p.i.) one of them fertilizes the macrogamete. Development of the oocysts took place in the mosquito haemocoel leading to formation of an average of 28 sporoblasts/oocyst (range 8–50)on days 10–12 p.i. Beginning at day 16 p.i. (8–24) averaged by 17 sporozoites per sporocyst were observed. Each sporozoite is curved and banana-shaped with round ends measuring 10×32 Μm. On the basis of its sporogonic development in the mosquito, the haemogregarine from Mabuya quinquetaeniata which Wenyon (1909) named Karyolysus gracilis is transferred to the genus Hepatozoon. Experimental transmission was successful by oral administration or by i.p. inoculation of the infectious stages (sporozoites) to uninfected skinks and led to the appearance of blood stages after 5 or 4 weeks, respectively.

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Abbreviations

DMS :

developing merozoites

DSP :

developing sporoblasts

DSPR :

developing sporozoites

E :

erythrocyte

F :

Flagellum

HC :

host cell

MS :

merozoites

MA :

macrogamete

MG :

microgamete

MIG :

microgamont

N :

nucleus

NH :

nucleus of the host cell

OC :

Oocyst

P :

erythrocytic parasite

PV :

parasitophorous vacuole

RB :

residual body

SCH :

Schizont

SP :

Sporoblast (s)

SPC :

Sporocyst (s)

SPR :

Sporozoite (s)

ZY :

Zygote

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Science, Zoology Department, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

    A. -R. Bashtar, F. A. Abdel-Ghaffar & M. A. Shazly

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  1. A. -R. Bashtar
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  2. F. A. Abdel-Ghaffar
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  3. M. A. Shazly
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Bashtar, A.R., Abdel-Ghaffar, F.A. & Shazly, M.A. Developmental stages of Hepatozoon gracilis (Wenyon, 1909) comb. nov., a parasite of the Egyptian skink, Mabuya quinquetaeniata . Parasitol Res 73, 507–514 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00535324

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