Journal of Wildlife Diseases · 1988 · 20 citations · 10 references
Veterinary MedicineInfectious DiseasesVeterinary PathologyParasitologyVeterinary Parasitic DiseasesWildlife ParasitologyParasitic Disease DiagnosisParasitic Diseases Of WildlifeParasitic ZoonosesProtozoan ZoonosesWildlife Parasite PathologyZoonotic Disease PathologyCyst PathogenesisCyst Wall HistologyCyst Wall MorphologyCyst Wall UltrastructureDigestionProjectionsSarcocystosis In WildlifeVeterinary Parasitology Diagnostics
The prevalence of Sarcocystis sp. (Protozoa: Sarcocystidae) in fallow deer (Cervus dama) in Tuscany, Italy was determined by digestion technique and histological examination. Forty-four of 45 fallow deer were infected. Infections occurred in adult deer and in fawns. Samples from the heart were more intensively parasitized than samples from tongue, oesophagus and diaphragm muscle. With transmission electron microscopy, the primary cyst wall was folded and formed narrow, overlapping, sinuous projections which were often parallel to the cyst surface. Dogs fed heart samples from infected fallow deer shed sporocysts after 10-11 days. Cats fed the same samples did not shed any sporocysts.
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