A new coccidian parasite of the genus Caryospora Léger is described from the colubrid snake Boiga dendrophila Boie, 1827 imported from Kalimantan. Oocysts of Caryospora kalimaniunensis sp. n. are spherical, 18.7 (17.0-20.0) pm in diameter, with a bilayered slightly pitted and brownish oocyst wall. A micropyle and oocyst residuum are absent. One globular polar granule is present in 45% of sporulated oocysts. Sporocysts are ovoidal to ellipsoidal, 14.5 (13.0-15.5) x 10.5 (10.0-11.0) pm, with prominent Stieda and substieda bodies. Sporocyst residuum is present as small granules scattered among sporozoites. Sporozoites are elongate, lying lengthwise and parallel within the sporocyst and completely filling the sporocyst. Each sporo-zoite contains a spherical anterior and posterior refractile bodies.
A new coccidian parasite of the genus Caryospora Léger, 1904 is described from the colubrid snake Psammophis schokari (Forskâl, 1775). Oocysts of Caryospora maxima sp. n. are spherical or subspherical, 43.0 (40.0-46.0) X 42.1 (40.0-44.0) pm, with smooth and bilayered oocyst wall ca. 2.0 μιη thick. A micropyle, oocyst residuum and polar granule are absent. Sporocysls are broadly ellipsoidal, 21.3 (21.0-22.0) x 16.3 (16.0-17.0) μιη, with smooth, colourless and unilayered sporocyst wall. Sticda and substieda bodies are present. Sporocyst residuum is present as compact mass of granules lying centrally between sporozoites. Sporozoitcs arc elongate, arranged head to tail within sporocyst. Caryospora maxima represents the first coccidian species described from Psammophis schokari.
Faecal examination of the long nosed vine snake Ahaetulla nasuta Lacépède, 1789 revealed two species of caryosporan coccidia. The morphology of one species fits well with a description of Caryospora ahaetullae Modrý et Koudela, 1994, the second is a previously undescribed species. Oocysts of Caryospora veselyi sp. n. were spherical, 18.9 (16.5-21.5) pm in diameter, with pitted and brownish oocyst wall about 1.5 pm thick. An irregular polar granule about 2,0 x 1.0 pm was observed in 35% of the oocysts examined. Sporocysts were octozoic, ovoidal to ellipsoidal, 13.7 (13.0-15.5) x 10.3 (9.0-11.0) pm with a shape index 1.3 (1.2-1.4). Stieda and substieda bodies were present. Sporocyst residuum was present as small granules of irregular size scattered among sporozoiles. Both species sporulated within 72 hours. The infected snake did not show clinical signs of disease.
Oocysts/sporocysts of Sarcocystis sp. were found in the intestinal contents of the smooth snake, Coronella austriaca I .aurenti. Common voles Microtus arvalis (Pallas), bank voles Clethrionomys glareolus (Schreber), green lizards Lacerta viridis (Laurcnti), and common wall lizards Podarcis muralis (Laurenti) were experimentally inoculated as potential intermediate hosts. Only common wall lizards were found to be susceptible intermediate hosts. Transparent, macroscopically hardly visible sarcocysts found in tail striated muscles of lizards were 480 (390-640) x 210 (190-230) pm in size 72 days post-infection. Using the light microscopy, the sarcocyst wall was about 1 pm thick with an apparent layer of villi approx. 2 pm thick. Ullraslruclurally, the primary cyst wall was characterised by spine-like villar protrusions up to 2.5 pm in length and 0.5 pm in diameter. Based on sarcocyst morphology and experimental data, the discovered Sarcocystis species is suggested to be conspccific with Sarcocystis lacertae Babudieri, 1932. A redescription of Sarcocystis lacertae is presented in this study.
Coprological examinations of three snowy owls, Nyctea scandiaca (L.) revealed the presence of a coecidium of the genus Eimeria that apparently represents a previously undescribcd species. Oocysts of Eimeria nycteae sp. n. were spherical to subspherical, 23.6 (23-25) x 22.2 (22-23) pm with a shape index 1.1 (1.0-1.1). The oocyst wall was bilayered, smooth - 0.75 pin thick. A polar granule was absent. Sporocysts were ellipsoidal, 18.5 (18-19) x 9.8 (9-10) pm with a shape index 1.9 (1.8-2.1) with Stieda and substieda bodies. A sporocyst residuum was present as small granules scattered among sporozoitcs. The sequence of the sporulation process of this new species is given and illustrated with photomicrographs. Owls examined did not exhibit any signs of alteration of their health status.
An extrainlestinal coccidian parasite was identified in Schneider’s skinks Eumeces schneideri Daudin, 1802. Numerous tissue cysts were found in melanomacrophage aggregations in the liver of six of ten examined skinks. No tissue cysts were found in other tissues. Tissue cysts were 22-26 x 9-13 pm and contained a single sporozoite. Sporozoitcs were 10-13 x 2-4 pm, and contained a single nucleus, homogeneous inclusion and PAS positive granules, and were surrounded by PAS negative, 1.5-3.0 pm thick cyst wall. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the tissue cyst wall was composed of granular material and the sporozoites contained crystalloid body with regular arrangements of units. Appearance of tissue cyst and structure of crystalloid body indicate that Schneider's skinks represent a paratenic host for non-determined Isospora species.
Intestinal microsporidiosis was documented by detecting abundant slightly curved spores (2.9 x 1.2 pm) in the faeces of five of twelve skinks Mabuya perrotetii Duméril et Bibron, 1839 that originated from Ghana. Clinically, the microsporidiosis was characterized by decreased appetite, diarrhea, and weight loss. Histopathological changes consisted of villous atrophy, blunting of mucosa and flattening of individual epithelial cells in the large intestine. The ultrastructure of microsporidian spores was consistent with an Encephalitozoon species. The PCR-RFLP assay and the heleroduplex mobility shift analyses were used to verify that the skink microsporidian is a species of the genus Encephalitozoon Levaditi, Nicolau et Schoen, 1923 and indicate that this microsporidian is not E. hellem, E. intestinalis or a strain of E. cuniculi. The microsporidia in African skink represent an Encephalitozoon species morphologically identical to Encephalitozoon lacerine Canning, 1981.
Seven of 12 lacertid lizards Acanthodactylus boskianus (Daiidin, 1802), passed oocysts of an Isospora species. Comparison with other species of the genus Isospora Schneider, 1881 indicated that found coccidium represented a new species, for which the name /. abdallahi is proposed. Sporulated oocysts of /. abdallahi are spherical or subspherical, 25.8 (24.5-29.0) x 23.9 (23.0-25.5) pm, shape index (length/width) being 1.07 (1.00-1.16), with a smooth, bilayered oocyst wall that is slightly yellowish, about 2 pm thick. Micropyle, oocyst residuum and polar granule are absent. Sporocysts are ovoidal, 15.4 (14.0-16.0 x 9.4 (9.0-10.0) pm, with smooth and colorless sporocyst wall, shape index 1.6 (1.5-1.8). Stieda body is dome-like, substieda body spherical to subspherical. Sporocyst residuum is composed of numerous granules of different size, scattered among sporozoites. Most oocysts are passed unsporulated; sporulation was completed within 12 h at 25'C. Endogenous development occurs inside nuclei of enterocytes in the small intestine.
A new Cryptosporidium species, C. saurophilum, is described from Schneider’s skinks Eumeces schneidert Daudin, 1802. Oocysts were fully sporulated in fresh faeces and measured 5.0 x 4.7 pm (4.4-5.6 x 4.2-5.2 pm). The new species differs from C. serpentis Levine, 1980 by having smaller oocysts, developing in a different location of intestine, and by the inability to infect snakes.