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Sarcocystis species in skeletal muscle of otter (Lutra lutra)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 1999

K. WAHLSTRÖM ,
T. NIKKILÄ  and
A. UGGLA
K. WAHLSTRÖM
Affiliation:
Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden Department of Parasitology, National Veterinary Institute and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7073, S-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
T. NIKKILÄ
Affiliation:
Department of Pathology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
A. UGGLA
Affiliation:
Department of Parasitology, National Veterinary Institute and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7073, S-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
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Abstract

Cysts of a Sarcocystis species were found in large numbers in skeletal muscle of an otter (Lutra lutra) which was raised in Norway and died in captivity in Sweden. This is the first report of Sarcocystis infection in the otter. The sarcocysts were 0·3–2·3 mm long and 0·06–0·25 mm wide. As judged by light microscopy the sarcocyst walls were thin (<3 μm) with a serrated surface but without visible projections. By transmission electron microscopy, the sarcocyst wall measured 0·6–1·8 μm and had minute undulations covering the entire sarcocyst surface giving the wall a wavy appearance. Septa were indistinct. The sarcocysts contained few metrocytes and numerous bradyzoites. Sarcocysts were not found in 69 other otters subjected to necropsy in Sweden.

Keywords

Sarcocystis sp.ultrastructureotterLutra lutra
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 118 , Issue 1 , January 1999 , pp. 59 - 62
Copyright
1999 Cambridge University Press

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