Development of a new myxozoan parasite Tetracapsula bryozoides gen. n. et sp. n. in the coelomic cavities of Cris-latella mucedo Cuvier is described. Uninucleate proliferative cells are formed within well-defined sacs, the wall of which is one cell thick. The sacs, of different sizes according to age, are free floating and are conspicuously moved about within the coelomic fluid by the ciliary movements of the host. Division of the proliferative cells produces spherical cells of different sizes with nuclei of commensurate size. The largest cells enter sporogony by dividing into ten cells. Four of these become capsulogenic cells arranged as an anterior group, each giving rise to a spherical polar capsule containing a polar filament, possibly without prior formation of an external tube or, at most, very transient formation of these. Four valvogenic cells enclose the two sporoplasms and overlie the capsulogenic cells except at the points of exit of the polar filaments from the polar capsules. The two uninucleate sporoplasms are packed with endoplasmic reticulum, numerous mitochondria with tubular cristae and sporoplasmosomes which are distributed peripherally. Both sporoplasms produce secondary cells. Typical myxosporean features of the wall cells of the sac and all stages within the sac are: nuclei with granular nucleoplasm and prominent nucleolus, gap junctions between cells consisting of thickened membranes with cross connections, and haplosporosomes. A new genus is established for the parasite, defined as having development limited to uninucleate pseudoplasmodia within a sac of parasite origin, each uninucleate sporogonie stage giving rise to one spore with tetraradial symmetry, composed of four shell valves, four anterior polar capsules and two uninucleate sporoplasms with secondary cells. No plasmodia are formed. The genus is placed within the order Multivalvuli-da, in a new family Saccosporidae, defined as having development within a sac of parasite origin and sporogony without external tube or microtubules during polar capsule formation.
The development of Myxobolus dispar Thélohan, 1895, a myxosporean parasite of the gills of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) was studied in experimentally infected oligochaetes Tubifex tubifex Muller. After infection of uninfected tubificids with mature spores of M. dispar, development of actinosporean stages was first observed light microscopically 21 days after initial exposure. In histological sections, early pansporocysts were located in the gut epithelium of experimental oligochaetes, while advanced stages occupied mostly the outer layers of the gut and the coelozoic space. Mature pansporocysts, each containing 8 raabeia spores, appeared 199 days after initial exposure. Following damage of the intestinal wall and rupture of the pansporocysts, free actinosporean stages were found in the gut lumen of the oligochaetes. Actinospores of hi. dispar emerged from the worms after 217 days of intra-oligochaete development. They were floating in the water and showed a unique raabeia form. Each raabeia spore had three pyriform polar capsules and a cylindrical-shaped sporoplasm with approximately 32 secondary cells. The spore body joined the three caudal projections without a style. Caudal projections were bifurcated at the end and the two main branches had further small bifurcations. The total length of the raabeia spore was approximately 158 pm. The prevalence of infection in 240 experimentally infected Tubifex specimens was 99.2%. No infection was found in the control oligochaetes.
In greening mustard cotyledons, both photosystems (PS) 1 and 2 were significantly promoted by addition of gibberelic acid (GA) at low concentrations, i.e. upto 10 μΜ, while at higher concentrations no significant changes were recorded. PS2 activity in kinetin (KN) treated seedlings was promoted at concentrations upto 5 μΜ KN, while it showed a slight inhibition at higher concentrations. No significant change in PS1 activity was observed when compared to controls. Other particular photosynthetic electron transport reactions were also increased by GA and KN. KN03 showed concentration-dependent effects on photosynthetic electron transport reactions.
The development of the nematode Procamallanus saccobranchi Karve, 1952, a parasite in the stomach of the fish Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch), was studied in Mesocyclops crassus (Fischer) and Mesocyclops leuckarti (Claus). After being ingested by the copepods the nematode first-stage larvae penetrated into the haemocoel of the intermediate host; there they moulted twice (on days 3 and 5 p.i. at 28-30°C) attaining the third, infective stage. The definitive host H. fossilis acquired infection by feeding on copepods harbouring infcclivc-stage larvae; in the stomach of this definitive host, the larvae were observed to undergo two more moults. The third moult occurred on day 13 p.i. and the fourth moult on day 38 p.i. and day 66 p.i. in “male” and “female” larvae, respectively. The larval stages, including the moulting forms are described and illustrated.
Fifty-day-old fry of tilapia hybrids (Oreochromis aureus x niloticus) were placed in aquaria containing sediment with oocysts of Eimeria (sensu lato) vanasi Landsberg et Paperna. In the first 29 h after exposure sporulated oocysts in the stomach and free sporozoites in the gut could be found in examined fish. By 7 to 56 h after exposure, sporozoites, with their characteristic crystalloid body, were detected in intraepithélial lymphocyte-like and other leucocyte-like cells, but never in the epithelial cells. Infected cells were confined to the epithelial layer and did not enter the lamina propria. Within this time, some of the sporo-zoitcs divided by endodyogeny, once or twice in succession, to form daughter sporozoites. The parent’s sporozoite crystalline body was divided between the offspring of the primary and secondary divisions.
F.xcept other functions, surface saccharide residues on trematode larvae are supposed either to be the targets of the intermediate (molluscan) and final host immune systems, or to represent candidates for molecular mimicry. Therefore, changes in surface saccharide patterns during the development of the avian schistosome Trichobilharzia szidati were characterized. Whole parasite larval stages and their tissue sections were examined using FITC-conjugated lectins. Marked surface differences were found among larval stages (miracidia, mother sporocysts, daughter sporocysts, cercariae, schistosomula). Staining by some lectins reflected known ultrastructural changes of the outer tegument. Reaction of lectins with cercarial embryos was almost negative. In case of other developmental stages, binding of at least one member from each carbohydrate-specificity group of lectins (Man/Glc-, GIcNAc-, Gal/GalNAc- and Fuc-specific) occurred. One exception is represented by mother and daughter sporocysts which practically failed to react with Fuc-specific lectins. Besides other lectins which recognized larval surfaces, a-L-fucose-specific lectins (LTA, UEA-I) and (GlcNAcfll —>4)„-spccific WGA bound very strong to certain stages. The comparison of mature intrasporocystic cercariae with those emerged from snails brought the indication that some snail glycosylated molecules adhere to the surface of schistosome larvae or that emerged cercariae express some new carbohydrate epitopes under changed environmental conditions. The result partially supports the theory of parasite mimicry/masking strategies and immune evasion in the host.