The Animal Parasites of ManFantham, Harold Benjamin
Science
The Animal Parasites of Man
Fantham, Harold Benjamin
Medical parasitology
In the youngest Sarcosporidia (40 µ in length) from the muscles of
the sheep there occur, according to Bertram, small roundish or oval
cells (4 µ to 5 µ), the nuclei of which are half their size, and are
embedded in a granular protoplasmic mass. In somewhat larger, and
therefore older, cylinders, the investing membrane of which already
shows both layers, the cells have become larger (to 7 µ) and are more
sharply outlined from each other (fig. 106). These uninucleate cells
may be considered as pansporoblasts. In each pansporoblast division
of the nucleus occurs (fig. 107), and meanwhile the pansporoblasts
become isolated within the chambers, the dividing partitions of which
originate from the granular protoplasm which is present between the
pansporoblasts. The numerous uninucleate daughter forms produced within
the chambers become spores direct (fig. 108).
The process commences in the centre of the cylinders or sarcocysts,
and then progresses towards the extremities, the parasites meanwhile
increasing in size, and new pansporoblasts being continually formed at
the extremities (fig. 107).
[Illustration: FIG. 105.--Transverse section of _Sarcocystis tenella_,
Raill. From the œsophagus of the sheep, _Ovis aries_. × 38. _a_,
marginal chambers filled with spores; _b_, connective tissue of the
œsophagus; _c_, muscles of the œsophagus.]
[Illustration: FIG. 106.--Young _Sarcocystis tenella_ of the sheep,
47 µ in length. (After Bertram.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 107.--End of a trophozoite of _Sarcocystis
miescheriana_ from the diaphragm of the pig, showing division in
pansporoblasts. × 800. (After Bertram.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 108.--_Sarcocystis blanchardi_ of the ox.
Longitudinal section of sarcocyst or Miescher’s tube. _a_, substance
of muscle fibre; _b_, envelope of sarcocyst; _c_, muscle nuclei; _d_,
spores in chambers; _e_, ground substance. × 400. (From Wasielewski,
after van Eecke.)]
The spores (sometimes called Rainey’s corpuscles), vary in shape
according to the species, but are also of different form individually.
They are mostly kidney-, bean- or sickle-shaped (fig. 109), and of
small size, sometimes reaching 14 µ by 3 µ to 5 µ. They are apparently
surrounded by a thin membrane, and at one extremity (according to the
discovery of L. Pfeiffer, confirmed by van Eecke, Laveran and Mesnil)
contain an obliquely striated body (fig. 109) often homologized with
the polar capsule, while the greater part of the spore is taken up by
the nucleate sporozoite. Several authors state that they have also
observed filamentous appendages (polar filaments) at one end of the
spores, and have seen two kinds of spores in the same Sarcosporidium.
Spores of various species of Sarcosporidia may contain metachromatic
granules, often centrally placed (fig. 109). These granules may be
metabolic or possibly may contain toxin (see below).
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