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Parasitol Res 2022 Jul 24;121(7):2161-2166. Epub 2022 May 24.

Nature Research Centre, Akademijos Str. 2, 08412, Vilnius LT, Lithuania.

Protozoans of genus Sarcocystis are widespread parasites infecting mammals, birds, and reptiles. Morphology of their sarcocysts is an important criterion for species identification. However, as more and more morphologically similar Sarcocystis species are being found and described, additional methods for their routine diagnostics are needed. Read More

Parasitol Res 2022 Jul 19;121(7):2079-2086. Epub 2022 May 19.

Tierärztliche Fachpraxis Für Kleintiere, Schießtrath 12, 92709, Moosbach, Germany.

Sika deer (Cervus nippon), which are native to the Japanese islands and the adjacent mainland of eastern Asia, have been introduced into Europe and established free-ranging populations in several countries. Various Sarcocystis species have been identified recently from farmed "mainland sika" deer in Lithuania and native "Japanese sika" deer in Japan. To study the distribution, prevalence and intensity of Sarcocystis infection in free-ranging sika deer outside of their natural range heart and/or diaphragm samples of 311 animals from nine populations in Germany and Austria were examined by histology. Read More

J Parasit Dis 2022 Mar 16;46(1):215-219. Epub 2021 Aug 16.

Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.

species are intracellular protozoan which mostly complete their life cycle in two hosts. The parasite has a significant economic, medical and veterinary impact in many regions of the world and considered as a significant health problem in Iran. However, most of infections are asymptomatic and mortality is extremely rare. Read More

Vet Parasitol 2022 Mar 11;303:109678. Epub 2022 Feb 11.

Department of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Paraná, Rua dos Funcionários 1540, CEP 80035-050, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.

The closely related apicomplexa protozoa, Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora spp., and Sarcocystis neurona, have all been associated with neurological and reproductive diseases in horses. However, there is limited data regarding the presence of these three parasites in equine placental tissues and amniotic fluid. Read More

J Vet Diagn Invest 2022 May 15;34(3):543-546. Epub 2022 Feb 15.

Veterinary Medical Center, Oregon Zoo, Portland, OR, USA (Sanchez, Flaminio, Sim).

Two captive vulturine guineafowl () were presented with lethargy, hyporexia, weight loss, and progressive neurologic signs. One of the guineafowl was seropositive for (1:50 dilution). Both guineafowl died within 5 d of presentation. Read More

Folia Parasitol (Praha) 2022 Feb 3;69. Epub 2022 Feb 3.

Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciencias, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.

Data mining animal of genomes has been used before to identify endoparasites, and may be a particularly useful tool to surpass some difficulties faced by studies in the marine environment. We detected a species of Sarcocystis Lankester, 1882, contamination in the sperm whale (Physeter catodon Linnaeus) reference genome available in the GenBank database. We identified and extracted multiple gene fragments and placed the sequences in a phylogenetic framework. Read More

Parasitol Res 2022 Feb 24;121(2):703-711. Epub 2022 Jan 24.

Nature Research Centre, Akademijos Str. 2, 08412, Vilnius, Lithuania.

Although three species of Sarcocystis, S. cornixi, S. corvusi and S. Read More

Parasit Vectors 2022 Jan 11;15(1):13. Epub 2022 Jan 11.

College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China.

Background: Data on the genus Sarcocystis in insectivores are limited. The Asian gray shrew Crocidura attenuata is one of the most common species of the insectivore family Soricidae in South Asia and Southeast Asia. To our knowledge, species of Sarcocystis have never been recorded previously in this host. Read More

Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis 2022 Jan 13;80:101738. Epub 2021 Dec 13.

Student Research Committee, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran.

Sarcocystis is an intracellular parasite of the apicomplexa phylum. More than one hundred species of Sarcocystis can infect wildlife and livestock animals. Samples of the liver, heart, muscle and diaphragm were collected from sheep, goats and cattle in Gonabad, northeast Iran and subjected to macroscopic, microscopic, tissue digestion, sequencing and phylogenetic analyses of 18S-rRNA region. Read More

J Comp Pathol 2021 Nov 26;189:135-140. Epub 2021 Nov 26.

Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland.

Sarcosystis calchasi is an emerging pathogen causing encephalitis in many avian species and has been documented in North America, Germany and Japan. In November 2019, a captive Patagonian conure (Cyanoliseus patagonus), kept in a zoological aviary in Finland, was euthanized due to acute respiratory distress. At necropsy, histopathological examination revealed numerous parasitic tissue cysts in the skeletal muscles and myocardium, chronic moderate multifocal lymphoplasmacytic and histiocytic meningoencephalitis and acute moderate multifocal purulent pneumonia caused by aspiration of foreign material. Read More

Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports 2021 12 24;26:100620. Epub 2021 Aug 24.

Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.

A 6-year-old female captive zebra (Equus zebra) had a three-year history of slow progressive neurologic signs that recently worsened with hind limb ataxia, head tilt, and circling. Gross examination including the brain and spinal cord were unremarkable. On histopathology, the brain and brainstem had multiple random areas of severe lymphoplasmacytic meningoencephalitis associated with numerous 15-25 μm in diameter protozoal cysts with a discernible outer wall containing numerous 2 × 4 μm oval to crescent-shaped organisms. Read More

J Wildl Dis 2022 01;58(1):63-75

Wildlife Genomics and Disease Ecology Lab, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Wyoming, 1174 Snowy Range Road, Laramie, Wyoming 82070, USA.

Southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) population recovery is influenced by a variety of factors, including predation, biotoxin exposure, infectious disease, oil spills, habitat degradation, and resource limitation. This population has also experienced a significant genetic bottleneck, resulting in low genetic diversity. We investigated how two metrics, familial relatedness and genetic diversity, are correlated with common causes of mortality in southern sea otters, including cardiomyopathy, acanthocephalan (Profilicollis spp. Read More

Parasitol Res 2022 Jan 12;121(1):491-497. Epub 2021 Nov 12.

Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Godoy Cruz, 2290 (C1425FQB) CABA, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Five psittacine birds, one eastern rosella (Platycercus eximius), one rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri), two eclectus parrot (Eclectus roratus), and one princess parrot (Polytelis alexandrae), all housed in a commercial aviary from La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina, suddenly died after a short period of dyspnea. The most significant histopathological findings for all specimens were interstitial exudative pneumonia, with marked congestion and hemorrhage, septa thickening, and massive perivascular lymphoplasmacytic infiltration. Structures compatible with protozoal schizonts were observed in the capillary lumen. Read More

J Am Vet Med Assoc 2021 11;259(10):1196-1205

Objective: To describe clinical signs, treatment, and outcome for California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) with Sarcocystis-associated polyphasic rhabdomyositis.

Animals: 38 free-ranging juvenile to adult California sea lions examined at a rehabilitation center in California between September 2015 and December 2017.

Procedures: Medical records at The Marine Mammal Center were reviewed to identify sea lions in which sarcocystosis had been diagnosed. Read More

Front Vet Sci 2021 14;8:759252. Epub 2021 Oct 14.

College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China.

Sarcocystosis is a parasitic disease caused by intracellular protozoan parasite of the genus . Tissue samples of alpacas ( = 4) from Henan province (China) were screened for spp. infection by histological examination, pepsin digestion, and molecular assays. Read More

J Wildl Dis 2021 10;57(4):856-864

Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative British Columbia, 1767 Angus Campbell Road, Abbotsford, British Columbia V3G 2M3, Canada.

Sarcocystis spp. are protozoan parasites that cause a spectrum of lesions in various hosts. Hepatic sarcocystosis and encephalitis have been described in captive American black bears (Ursus americanus) and polar bears (Ursus maritimus), and in a free-ranging grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), but have not previously been reported in free-ranging American black bears. Read More

Vet Immunol Immunopathol 2021 Oct 28;240:110319. Epub 2021 Aug 28.

Virginia Tech, Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, 175 West Campus Drive, 3280 Litton Reaves Hall, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, United States. Electronic address:

Sarcocystis neurona is the predominant etiological agent of the infectious equine neurologic disease, equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), which is prevalent in the United States. A wealth of knowledge about S. neurona biology and its life cycle has accumulated over the last several decades. Read More

J Equine Vet Sci 2021 09 16;104:103713. Epub 2021 Jul 16.

College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina.

The aim of this study was to determine if bi-weekly administration of diclazuril at half the label dose would reduce seroprevalence and magnitude of titers to S. neurona in healthy horses naturally exposed to the apicomplexan protozoal parasite. 12 healthy adult horses were moved from a low-risk exposure to a farm with high exposure rate to S. Read More

J Vet Diagn Invest 2022 Jan 20;34(1):146-152. Epub 2021 Aug 20.

Departments of Ecosystem and Public Health and the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative Alberta Region, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

A free-ranging juvenile male black bear (), found dead in Alberta, Canada, had severe nonsuppurative encephalitis. Lesions in the brain were most severe in the gray matter of the cerebral cortex, and included perivascular cuffs of lymphocytes and plasma cells, areas of gliosis that disrupted the neuropil, and intralesional protozoan schizonts. The left hindlimb had suppurative myositis associated with . Read More

Microb Pathog 2021 Oct 17;159:105144. Epub 2021 Aug 17.

Department of Parasitology, U. P. Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Pashu Chikitsa Vigyan Vishwavidyalaya Evam Go Anusandhan Sansthan (DUVASU), Mathura, 281001, India.

Sarcocystosis is a significant meat borne coccidian disease with immense zoonotic potential. Sarcocystis fusiformis is the most prevalent Sarcocystis spp. affecting buffaloes across the globe. Read More

Parasit Vectors 2021 Aug 18;14(1):414. Epub 2021 Aug 18.

Nature Research Centre, Akademijos 2, 08412, Vilnius, Lithuania.

Background: Members of the genus Sarcocystis are protozoan parasites characterized by a prey-predator two-host life-cycle. Sarcocysts are formed in the muscles or central nervous system of the intermediate host (IH), while sporocysts develop in the small intestine of the definitive host (DH). Various birds of prey have been confirmed to be DH for Sarcocystis spp. Read More

Parasitol Res 2021 Aug 29;120(8):2819-2825. Epub 2021 Jul 29.

Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, 40002, Thailand.

Cattle and buffaloes, popular protein sources worldwide, are intermediate hosts for several Sarcocystis species. These coccidian protozoans cause sarcocystosis resulting in subclinical and chronic infections in striated muscles by forming macrocysts or microcysts. In Thailand, Lao People's Democratic Republic, and Cambodia, Sarcocystis species have been reported, but molecular identification has been lacking. Read More

J Parasitol 2021 07;107(4):562-565

Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Johnson C. Smith University, 100 Beatties Ford Rd., Charlotte, North Carolina 28216.

We are interested in the disease ecology of Sarcocystis species that infect birds of prey as definitive and intermediate hosts. The present study was done to test our hypothesis that a laboratory model can be developed for sarcocystis infection in mammals using gamma interferon gene knockout (KO) mice as a source of Sarcocystis strixi bradyzoites and mammalian cell cultures as a source of sporulated S. strixi oocysts. Read More

Rev Bras Parasitol Vet 2021 9;30(3):e006521. Epub 2021 Jul 9.

Grupo de Investigación - GINVER, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria, Corporación Universitaria Remington, Medellín, Colombia.

Protozoan parasites of the genus Sarcocystis are obligatory heteroxenous cyst-forming coccidia that infect a wide variety of animals and encompass approximately 200 described species. At least four Sarcocystis spp. (S. Read More

Parasitol Int 2021 Dec 10;85:102419. Epub 2021 Jul 10.

Nature Research Centre, Institute of Ecology, Akademijos 2, LT-08412 Vilnius, Lithuania.

The diaphragm muscles of 77 free-ranging red deer (Cervus elaphus) were examined for Sarcocystis species in Lithuania. Sarcocysts were detected in 61 out of 77 (79.2%) animals investigated. Read More

Parasitol Res 2021 Aug 12;120(8):2881-2886. Epub 2021 Jul 12.

SALUVET Group, Animal Health Department, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Complutense s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain.

Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia) is a North African native wild Caprinae, introduced in the 1970s in new territories such as Spain, the USA, and Mexico. Here, we describe Sarcocystis species in Barbary sheep. Sarcocysts were found in 19 out of 56 adult A. Read More

Ecohealth 2021 03 2;18(1):84-94. Epub 2021 Jul 2.

Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, 4206 VM3A, Davis, CA, 95616-5270, USA.

Increasing reports of marine mammal deaths have been attributed to the parasite Sarcocystis neurona. Infected opossums, the only known definitive hosts, shed S. neurona sporocysts in their feces. Read More

Parasitol Res 2021 Jul 24;120(7):2695-2702. Epub 2021 Jun 24.

Nature Research Centre, Akademijos 2, 08412, Vilnius, Lithuania.

Previous morphological studies suggested that mouflon may have sarcocysts similar to those of sheep. However, to date, no molecular-based studies of the species of Sarcocystis infecting mouflon have been done. The present study identified Sarcocystis species in diaphragm muscle samples from 20 European mouflon (Ovis gmelini musimon). Read More

Rev Bras Parasitol Vet 2021 21;30(2):e027720. Epub 2021 Jun 21.

Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciência Animal, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz - UESC, Ilhéus, BA, Brasil.

The aims of this study were to determine the seroprevalence of Sarcocystis neurona antibodies in equines in the Ilhéus-Itabuna microregion (BA), and identify possible factors associated with infection. The presence of sporocysts/oocysts of Sarcocystis spp. was also verified in Didelphis spp. Read More

Rev Bras Parasitol Vet 2021 14;30(3):e003621. Epub 2021 Jun 14.

Laboratório de Doenças Parasitárias - LADOPAR, Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria - UFSM, Santa Maria, RS, Brasil.

The macroscopic, histological, and molecular aspects of Sarcocystis spp. were examined in the tissues of two cattle and four sheep, 16 and eight fragments analyzed respectively, condemned in the slaughterhouse. All 24 samples were collected and analyzed for detecting macrocysts and macroscopic lesions. Read More