Infection of Hydra by Microsporidia |
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Authors: | DOROTHY RRESLIN SPANGENBERG DAVID L CLAYBROOK † |
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Institution: | Clayton Foundation Biochemical Institute and Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas |
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Abstract: | A microsporidian infection in a laboratory clone of Hydra littoralis has been observed, and the parasite has been tentatively identified as a species of Plistophora . Infected hydra continue to bud and regenerate normally and show no significant physiological or morphological changes. Sexual crossing of infected and non-infected animals shows that the infection is transmitted by the ovum but not by the sperm. Continuous exposure of infected hydra to Fumidil B in solution resulted in the disappearance of all Plistophora spores after a five week period of treatment, and the clones of the treated animals have remained parasite-free for more than a year. |
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