A Process of Reproduction of Trypanosoma conorhini Different from Binary or Multiple Fission

SYNOPSIS. In cultures of Trypanosoma conorhini the authors have detected "cyst-like bodies" (CLBs) that, in the initial phase, have the appearance of 2 or more overgrown crithidiae fused together; after disorganization of the internal structure of the parent flagellates and division of their organelles, new crithidiae are formed within the CLB. The wall of the CLB consists of an irregularly thick layer of cytoplasm surrounded by the periplast of the parent flagellates and a true cystic membrane is not evident. The daughter crithidiae eventually escape from the CLB leaving the periplast and other residues of the parent flagellates. It is suggested that this represents a method of reproduction entirely different from binary or multiple fission, that is probably common to other trypanosomes of the Section STERCORARIA, and that it may provide for genetic exchange even if it is not a true sexual process.