Ultrastructural Study of Endoreticulatus durforti N. Sp., a New Microsporidian Parasite of the Intestinal Epithelium of Artemia (Crustacea, Anostraca) |
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Authors: | M ASUNCION MARTINEZ CHRISTIAN P VIVARES GEORGES BOUIX |
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Institution: | Laboratoire de Parasitologie et Immunologie UniversitéMontpellier II Sciences et Techniques, 34095 Monlpellier Cedex 5 France;Laboratoire de Biologie Comparée des Protistes. URA CNRS n°138, UniversitéBlaise Pascal, 63177 Aubière Cedex, France |
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Abstract: | ABSTRACT. A new microsporidian parasite of the Artemia intestinal epithelium has been studied. The microsporidium developed within a membranous parasitophorous vesicle from the host rough endoplasmic reticulum consisting of two membranes, with the proximal one usually lacking ribosomes. All developmental stages had isolated nuclei. Unikaryotic meronts developed into merogonial plasmodia. Merogonial division occurred by binary fission and rosette-shaped fragmentation. In young sporonts, an electron-lucent space, corresponding to the developing endospore, was immediately observed between both the plasmalemma and the exospore primordium. Sporogonial division occurred also by rosette-shaped fragmentation, resulting in at least eight sporoblasts that developed directly into spores. Fresh spores were 1.7 × 0.9 μm in size and oval-shaped. The 8–11 coil isofilar polar filament was arranged in two rows. The polaroplast was bipartite. The nature of the parasitophorous envelope, host-parasite interaction, developmental cycle and taxonomy are discussed. |
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Keywords: | Brine shrimp cytology intestinal microsporidium ultrastructure |
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