| Title | A New Species of Sarcocystis (Apicomplexa: Sarcocystidae) from the Black Bear (Ursus americanus). | | Author(s) | Dubey JP, Humphreys JG, Fritz D | | Source | J Parasitol 2008 Apr 1; 94(2):496-499. | | Abstract | Infection with Sarcocystis species is common in herbivores but is rare in bears. Histological sections of 374 black bears (Ursus americanus) from Pennsylvania were examined for sarcocysts. In total, 3 sarcocysts were found in 3 bears, with 1 sarcocyst per section. Sarcocysts from 2 bears were considered a new species, Sarcocystis ursusi. Sarcocysts of S. ursusi n. sp. were microscopic and contained only bradyzoites. By light microscopy, the sarcocyst wall was thin (<0.5 mum thick) and had minute serrations. Ultrastructurally, the serrations on the sarcocyst wall consisted of villar protrusions (Vp) that were mostly 0.5 mum long. The Vp had bundles of electron-dense microtubules that were as wide as long; these microtubules extended deep into the ground substance layer, a feature that distinguished this species from unnamed sarcocysts from black bear. Bradyzoites were 4.8-6.0 mum long. The sarcocyst from the third bear was structurally different from S. ursusi; its sarcocyst wall was approximately 2 mum thick and had finger-like villi on the cyst wall giving the sarcocyst wall a striated appearance. | | Language | ENG | | Pub Type(s) | JOURNAL ARTICLE
| | PubMed ID | 18564883 |
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