Infection rate, histopathology, and identification of Sarcocystis SPP. infection in slaughtered Philippine water buffaloes collected from the veterinary inspection board, Tondo, Manila

• Main Author: Cruz, Mary Jane P.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 1999
• Subjects: Water buffalo > Infections; Cattle > Diseases; Cattle > Parasites; Sarcocystosis; Protozoan diseases; Animal Experimentation and Research; Other Immunology and Infectious Disease; Parasitology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/1970
• Institution: De La Salle University

Sarcocystis infection was detected in 83.33 percent of the 120 carcasses of Philippine water buffaloes surveyed in the Veterinary Inspection Board, Tondo, Manila. Macroscopic sarcocysts and two forms of microscopic sarcocysts, the spindle-shaped or fusiform cysts and the globular to oval cysts were noted. Microscopic sarcocysts occurring alone were the dominant form in all muscle tissue types compared to single infection with macroscopic sarcocysts or as mixed infections. Ultrastructural analysis of macroscopic and microscopic sarcocysts and their cyst wall revealed two distinct species of Sarcocystis infecting Philippine water buffaloes. These are the macroscopic species, Sarcocystis fusiformis with Type 23 cyst wall possessing highly-dendritic cauliflower-like projections with annulated microfilaments and numerous electron-dense granules and the microscopic species, Sarcocystis levinei (Dissanaike and Kan, 1978) Huong, Dubey and Uggla, 1997 exhibiting a Type 7 cyst wall with minute hair-like protrusions with expanded or dome-shaped base, an intermediate finger-like, and distal tapering segments which at some points join to form conical tufts. This report represents the first documented study of the occurrence of S. levinei in Philippine water buffaloes supported with ultrastructural analysis. Histopathological changes such as displacement of surrounding muscle tissue and that of the host sacolemma with accompanying tissue necrosis were apparent in muscle tissues infected with both macroscopic and microscopic sarcocysts. Degeneration of myofibrils and mitochondria were evident.