Sarcocystis masoni, n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Sarcocystidae), and redescription ofSarcocystis aucheniaefrom llama (Lama glama), guanaco (Lama guanicoe) and alpaca (Vicugna pacos)

Abstract

There is considerable confusion concerning the species of Sarcocystis in South American camelids (SAC). Several species names have been used; however, proper descriptions are lacking. In the present paper, we redescribe the macroscopic sarcocyst forming Sarcocystis aucheniae and describe and propose a new name, Sarcocystis masoni for the microscopic sarcocyst forming species. Muscles samples were obtained from llamas (Lama glama) and guanacos (Lama guanicoe) from Argentina and from alpacas (Vicugna pacos) and llamas from Peru. Individual sarcocysts were processed by optical and electron microscopy, and molecular studies. Microscopic sarcocysts of S. masoni were up to 800 µm long and 35-95 µm wide, the sarcocyst wall was 2·5-3·5 µm thick, and had conical to cylindrical villar protrusions (vp) with several microtubules. Each vp had 11 or more rows of knob-like projections. Seven 18S rRNA gene sequences obtained from sarcocysts revealed 95-96% identity with other Sarcocystis spp. sequences reported in the GenBank. Sarcocysts of S. aucheniae were macroscopic, up to 1·2 cm long and surrounded by a dense and laminar 50 µm thick secondary cyst wall. The sarcocyst wall was up to 10 µm thick, and had branched vp, appearing like cauliflower. Comparison of the 11 sequences obtained from individual macroscopic cysts evidenced a 98-99% of sequence homology with other S. aucheniae sequences. In conclusion, 2 morphologically and molecularly different Sarcocystis species, S. masoni (microscopic cysts) and S. aucheniae (macroscopic cysts), were identified affecting different SAC from Argentina and Peru.

Identification of Sarcocystis spp. in One-humped Camels (Camelus dromedarius) from Riyadh and Dammam, Saudi Arabia, via Histological and Phylogenetic Approaches

“…Thick-walled cysts were found in the esophagus of one-humped camels slaughtered in Egypt [ 10 ]; in the esophagus, diaphragm, heart, skeletal muscles, and tongue of one-humped camels slaughtered in Egypt [ 19 ]; in the esophagus of one-humped camels slaughtered in Egypt [ 39 ], and in the esophagus, skeletal muscles, and tongue of one-humped camels slaughtered in Egypt [ 40 ]. Similarly, both thin- and thick-walled Sarcocystis cysts have been suggested to be at different stages in the same parasite and have been termed S. cameli [ 41 ]. In addition, thick-walled cysts were found repeatedly and termed S. cameli , whereas thin-walled cysts were unnamed [ 18 , 25 , 36 ].…”

Detection of Sarcocystis aucheniae in blood of llama using a duplex semi-nested PCR assay and its association with cyst infestation

“…3. Maximal percentages of identity (98.0 %) were obtained between sequences KU527117 and KT382799, corresponding to S. aucheniae cysts obtained from a llama of Jujuy, and a guanaco of Santa Cruz, Argentina, respectively (Regensburger et al., 2015; Moré et al., 2016), followed by AF017123 (96.7 %), corresponding to a cyst found in an alpaca of Australia (Holmdahl et al., 1998), and KF383267 (96.7%), KF383268 (96.3 %) and KF383266 (96 %), the latter three corresponding to cysts from llamas of Jujuy, Argentina (Carletti et al., 2013). These results suggest that the observed genetic variability in 18S rRNA sequences is not associated to host species or geographic origin of isolates.…”

“…In a group of 80 llamas of the province of Jujuy, blood samples were removed before slaughter, and the presence of cysts was determined by visual inspection of 10 cm 2 patches in the regions of the neck and intercostal muscles after slaughter. The examined regions were chosen because of their reliability to determine cyst infestation (Rooney et al., 2014; Moré et al., 2016). Animals were not euthanised explicitly for the purposes of this research, and sample collection followed accepted animal welfare guidelines.…”

“…One of the limitations for the production and commercialization of SAC meat is the frequent finding of macroscopic cysts (1–5 mm) resembling rice grains in skeletal muscles (Decker Franco et al., 2018; Moré et al., 2016; Saeed et al., 2018). Cysts essentially consist of encapsulated conglomerates of up to 2 × 10 7 protozoan parasites of the Sarcocystis aucheniae species, and have a brain-like structure when examined under electron microscopy (Carletti et al., 2013; Decker Franco et al., 2018; Moré et al., 2016). Cysts are usually very abundant and give an unpleasant aspect to SAC meat, which leads to confiscation of carcasses by sanitary authorities or devaluation of their commercial value.…”

Infectividad De Quistes De Sarcocystis Sp. En Alpacas (Vicugna Pacos) en Una Ganaderia De La Sierra Central Del Perú

“…Recientemente, Moré et al (2016) realizan una redescripción de S. aucheniae de llamas, guanacos y alpacas, basado en estudios morfológicos y moleculares, y proponen la denominación de S. aucheniae para quistes macroscópicos y S. masoni para los quistes microscópicos. Sin embargo, Saeed et al (2018) en una revisión de las diferentes especies de Sarcocystis propuestas por diferentes autores concluyen que no fue posible para ellos decidir qué tipo de Sarcocystis fue S. aucheniae o S. masoni.…”