Volume 49/Number 2/Abstract 01
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Acta Parasitologica, Vol.49, No. 2, 2004, 93-101
J.P. Dubey(1)*, Emily Lane(2) and Erna van Wilpe(3) - Sarcocystis ramphastosi sp. nov. and Sarcocystis sulfuratusi sp. nov. (Apicomplexa, Sarcocystidae) from the keel-billed toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus)
(1)Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Animal and Natural Resources Institute, BARC-East, Building 1001, 10300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA; (2)P.O. Box 556, Derdepark, South Africa; (3)Electron Microscope Unit, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa
*Corresponding author: jdubey@anri.barc.usda.gov
ABSTRACT

Two new species of Sarcocystis, Sarcocystis ramphastosi sp. nov. and Sarcocystis sulfuratusi sp. nov. are described from a naturally infected keel-billed toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus). Only sarcocysts were found and they were mature. Sarcocysts of S. ramphastosi were up to 3 mm long and up to 1 mm wide. The sarcocyst wall was smooth. The villar protrusions on the sarcocyst wall of S. ramphastosi were up to 6.5 µm long and up to 3 µm wide; they were folded over the sarcocyst wall giving a thin-walled appearance. The microtubules in villar protrusions were smooth and confined to villar protrusions. Bradyzoites in sections were 4-4.5 × 1.3-1.6 µm in size. Sarcocysts of S. sulfuratusi were up to 900 µm long and up to 200 µm wide. The sarcocyst wall was smooth and thin-walled. The villar protrusions were up to 4.3 µm long and 1.4 µm wide. The microtubules in villar protrusions extended deeper into the granular layer of the sarcocyst wall and those in the granular layer were more electron-dense than in the villar protrusions. Bradyzoites were 5.0-7.0 × 1.5-2.2 µm in size.


KEY WORDS: Sarcocystis ramphastosi, Sarcocystis sulfuratusi, Protozoa, toucan, Ramphastos sulfuratus

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