A Light Microscopic Comparison of The Cysts of Four Species of Sarcocystis Infecting The Domestic Reindeer (Rangifer Tarandus) in Northern Norway

• Published in: Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica
• Main Author: Gjerde, Bjørn
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: BioMed Central 1984
• Subjects: Article; Norway; Northern Norway; Rangifer tarandus
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8287436/; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6439016; https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03547264

Fresh preparations of micro-isolated sarcocysts from skeletal and cardiac muscle of 12 reindeer were examined by light microscopy. On the basis of cyst structure and cyst wall structure 4 Sarcocystis spp. could be differentiated. New names have been proposed for 2 previously unnamed Sarcocystis spp. of reindeer, and S. grueneri has been redefined. S. rangiferi n. sp. had macroscopic cysts in skeletal muscle measuring 2106×403 µm. The cyst wall protrusions were finger-like and measured 13.2×6.7 µm. The cysts were surrounded by a layer of fibrillar material. S. tarandi n. sp. had micro- to macroscopic cysts primarily in skeletal muscle, but a few cysts were found in the heart of one animal. In skeletal muscle the cysts measured 999×75µm; in the heart the cysts were shorter and wider. The cyst wall protrusions were fingerlike and measured 9.2×2.2 µm. S. grueneri had micro- to macroscopic cysts in cardiac muscle measuring 581×137 µm. The cyst wall was thin and relatively smooth with no visible protrusions. Sarcocystis sp. had micro- to macroscopic, slender cysts in skeletal muscle measuring 916×64 µm. The cyst wall had tightly packed, short, knob-like protrusions. The cysts of this species were previously classified as cysts of S. grueneri.