Ultrastructure of Besnoitia besnoiti tissue cysts and bradyzoites

Besnoitia besnoiti is an economically important tissue cyst-forming apicomplexan of cattle in Africa and Israel. Tissue cysts and bradyzoites of B. besnoiti from the skin of a naturally infected bull were studied by transmission electron microscopy. Tissue cysts enclosed host cell and bradyzoites. Bradyzoites were 6-7.5 x 1.9-2.3 microm in size and contained organelles found in coccidian merozoites including numerous micronemes, rhoptries, amylopectin granules, and a posteriorly located nucleus. Enigmatic bodies, characteristically found in Besnoitia sp. bradyzoites, were not observed. Therefore, enigmatic bodies should be removed as a generic character of the bradyzoites of Besnoitia species.