The taxonomic status of the extraintestinal piscine coccidium Calyptospora funduli is based in part on its requirement of an intermediate host (the daggerblade grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio). In the present study, grass shrimp fed livers of Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis) infected with sporulated oocysts of C. funduli exhibited numerous sporozoites suspended in the intestinal contents when fresh squash preparations were examined by light microscopy. Using this method, sporozoites were not seen in intestinal epithelial cells of the grass shrimp or in any other cell types. Ultrastructural examination, however, revealed sporozoites in the cytoplasm of the gut basal cells. Cross-sections of 1–13 sporozoites were seen within a single cell, and those sporozoites each appeared to be situated in individual membrane-bound vesicles, rather than in a single parasitophorous vacuole. These ultrastructural observations indicate that in the grass shrimp intermediate host, sporozoites that develop into an infective stage probably undergo that development in gut mucosal basal cells. Prior studies revealed that these sporozoites modified their structure over 4–5 days and that before that time, they were not infective to the fish host. Following ingestion of an infected shrimp by a killifish, the infective sporozoites apparently reach the liver of their killifish definitive hosts through the bloodstream. Sporozoites were seen in blood smears from the longnose killifish, Fundulus similis, 4 hr after fish were fed experimentally infected grass shrimp. Additionally, coccidian trophozoites and early meronts were seen in hepatocytes from several longnose killifish at 48, 72, and 96 hr postinfection. This study, in conjunction with previous findings, clearly confirms that a true intermediate host is required in the life cycle of C. funduli, that a developmental period of about 5 days in grass shrimp is necessary for sporozoites to become infective to killifishes, and that sporozoites do occur intracellularly in gut basal cells of the grass shrimp.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
June 2000
LIFE CYCLES-SURVEY|
June 01 2000
LIFE CYCLE OF CALYPTOSPORA FUNDULI (APICOMPLEXA: CALYPTOSPORIDAE) Available to Purchase
John W. Fournie;
John W. Fournie
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Gulf Ecology Division, 1 Sabine Island Drive, Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561
Search for other works by this author on:
Wolfgang K. Vogelbein;
Wolfgang K. Vogelbein
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Gulf Ecology Division, 1 Sabine Island Drive, Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561
*Department of Environmental Sciences, School of Marine Science, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, The College of William and Mary, Gloucester Point, Virginia 23062.
Search for other works by this author on:
Robin M. Overstreet;
Robin M. Overstreet
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Gulf Ecology Division, 1 Sabine Island Drive, Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561
†Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, The University of Southern Mississippi, Ocean Springs, Mississippi 39564.
Search for other works by this author on:
William E. Hawkins
William E. Hawkins
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Gulf Ecology Division, 1 Sabine Island Drive, Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561
†Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, The University of Southern Mississippi, Ocean Springs, Mississippi 39564.
Search for other works by this author on:
J Parasitol (2000) 86 (3): 501–505.
Citation
John W. Fournie, Wolfgang K. Vogelbein, Robin M. Overstreet, William E. Hawkins; LIFE CYCLE OF CALYPTOSPORA FUNDULI (APICOMPLEXA: CALYPTOSPORIDAE). J Parasitol 1 June 2000; 86 (3): 501–505. doi: https://doi.org/10.1645/0022-3395(2000)086[0501:LCOCFA]2.0.CO;2
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Client Account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.
Sign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionCiting articles via
A SYSTEMATIC REVISION OF KROYERIA (COPEPODA: SIPHONOSTOMATOIDA): FIVE NEW SPECIES, 11 REDESCRIPTIONS, AND A MORPHOLOGICAL PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF THE GENUS
Gregory B. Deets, Geoffrey A. Boxshall, James P. Bernot
MOLECULAR SURVEY OF HAEMOSPORIDIAN PARASITES IN HAWKS, FALCONS, AND OWLS (ACCIPITRIFORMES, FALCONIFORMES, STRIGIFORMES) FROM MINNESOTA AND NORTH DAKOTA, WITH REMARKS ON THE PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS OF HAEMOSPORIDIANS IN NORTH AMERICAN RAPTORS
Jeffrey A. Bell, Timothy G. Driscoll, Tyler J. Achatz, Jakson R. Martens, Jefferson A. Vaughan
TWO NEW SPECIES OF HENNEGUYA THÉLOHAN, 1892 (CNIDARIA: BIVALVULIDA: MYXOBOLIDAE) INFECTING GILL OF BLUE CATFISH, ICTALURUS FURCATUS (RAFINESQUE) (SILURIFORMES: ICTALURIDAE) FROM THE TALLAPOOSA RIVER AND CHESAPEAKE BAY TRIBUTARIES
Steven P. Ksepka, Heather Walsh, Christine L. Densmore, Triet N. Truong, Stephen A. Bullard
NEW SPECIES OF AXINE ABILDGAARD, 1794 (MONOGENOIDEA: AXINIDAE) INFECTING GILL LAMELLAE OF ATLANTIC FLYINGFISH, CHEILOPOGON MELANURUS (VALENCIENNES) (EXOCOETIDAE) IN THE WESTERN ATLANTIC OCEAN WITH PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS AND COMMENTS ON THE FEMALE GENITALIA OF AXINE SPP.
John H. Brule, Micah B. Warren, William B. Driggers, III, Stephen A. Bullard