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. 2010 Mar;16(3):497-9.
doi: 10.3201/eid1603.090860.

Sarcocystis species lethal for domestic pigeons

Philipp Olias  1 , Achim D Gruber, Andrea Kohls, Hafez M Hafez, Alfred Otto Heydorn, Heinz Mehlhorn, Michael Lierz
Affiliations

Sarcocystis species lethal for domestic pigeons

Philipp Olias et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2010 Mar.

Abstract

A large number of Sarcocystis spp. infect birds as intermediate hosts, but pigeons are rarely affected. We identified a novel Sarcocystis sp. that causes lethal neurologic disease in domestic pigeons in Germany. Experimental infections indicated transmission by northern goshawks, and sequence analyses indicated transnational distribution. Worldwide spread is possible.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Phylogenetic comparison of novel Sarcocystis sp. with related Sarcocystis spp. Tree constructed by neighbor-joining using Kimura 2-parameter method based on the partial 18S rRNA gene comprising 1,391 bp and the D2 region of 28S rRNA gene comprising 325 bp of the novel Sarcocytis sp. (GenBank accession no. GQ245670/FJ232949) and the following available Sarcocystis sequences: Frenkelia microti (S. buteonis) (AF009244/AF044252); Frenkelia glareoli (S. glareoli) (AF009245/AF044251); S. sp. (cyst type I) ex Anser albifrons (EU502869/EF079886); S. sp. (cyst type V) ex Corvus cornix (EU553478/EF079884); S. neurona (U07812/AF092927); S. sp. (cyst type II) ex Anas platyrhynchos (EU553477/EF079887); S. sp. (cyst type III) ex A. albifrons (EU502868/EF079885); S. moulei (L76473/AF012884); S. gigantea (L24384/U85706); S. tenella (L24383/AF076899); S. capracanis (L76472/AF012885); S. arieticanis (L24382/AF076904); S. cruzi (AF017120/AF076903); S. singaporensis (AF434054/AF237617); S. sp. II ex Atheris rungweensis (AF513490/AF513493); S. muris (M64244/AF012883). Highlighted area indicates branch of bird-infecting Sarcocystis spp. Scale bar indicates genetic distance.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A) Microscopic appearance of liver with tissue necrosis, lymphohistiocytic inflammation, and Sarcocystis schizonts (arrows) in a pigeon 8 days after infection with 105 Sarcocystis sporocysts. Hematoxylin and eosin stain; scale bar = 20 μm. B) Transmission electron micrograph of a hepatocyte from liver in panel A, containing a schizont, forming cross-sectioned and longitudinally sectioned merozoites. N, nucleus; PV, parasitophorous vacuole; M, merozoite. Scale bar = 20 μm.
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