The following species are described from Indonesian birds: Isospora paddae n. sp. with oocysts 41.5-45.5 x 40.3-41.5 (44 +/- 1.15 x 41.2 +/- 0.38) and sporocysts 22.8-24.5 x 14.7-17 (24 +/- 0.55 x 16.2 +/- 0.81) from the Java sparrow, Padda oryzivora, and Isospora indonesianensis n. sp. with oocysts 39.3-43.6 x 37-40.8 (41.8 +/- 1.3 x 39.6 +/- 1.25) and sporocysts 25.6-28.4 x 15.2-18.5 (27.1 +/- 1.05 x 16.8 +/- 1.22) from the chestnut Munia, Lonchura malacca (L). The host birds belong to the order Passerorida.
Faecal samples of 56 common house crows (Corvus splendens Vieillot) were collected from the Petaling Jaya and Kelang districts of Selangor, peninsular Malaysia, and examined for coccidia. Intestinal tracts of 8 of the above crows wee histologically examined under light microscopy to determine the site of coccidial infection and the endogenous stages present. Fifty three (94.6%) crows had coccidial oocysts morphologically conforming to only one species of Isospora in their faeces at the time they were examined. The sporulated oocysts were found to be Isospora corviae (Ray et al. 1952) which has been emended to I. corvi. These oocysts are redescribed in greater detail. Corvus splendens is a new host record for I. corvi. Coccidial infection was observed in all the intestinal tracts and generally confined to the anterior two thirds of the intestine. The parasites occurred within intestinal epithelial cells, located usually above the host cell nucleus. Developmental stages of both the asexual and sexual phases were found in the epithelium, and are deemed to be the endogenous stages of I. corvi on the basis of the oocysts recovered from the same crows used for histological study. These stages are described here for the first time. The prevalence of I. corvi, its relationship with the host C. splendens, and its probable transmission from C. macrorhynchus are discussed.
Fourteen goat kids of the local indigenous breed naturally infected with Eimeria species were divided into two equal groups. The first group was superinfected with 500,000 Eimeria species oocysts and the second group was treated with amprolium. Sixty days later both groups were infected with 5000 third-stage caprine Haemonchus contortus larvae. The goats experimentally superinfected with eimeria shed more H contortus eggs and gained weight more slowly.
Coccidial infections were studied in goats in the state of Selangor (peninsular Malaysia) during a 12-month period. The study included 10 smallholder farms on which kids were monitored for faecal oocyst counts from birth until 1-year old. Eimeria oocysts were found in 725 (89%) of 815 faecal samples examined. Nine species of Eimeria were identified. The most prevalent were E. arloingi, found in 71% of the samples, E. ninakohlyakimovae (67%), E. christenseni (63%) and E. alijevi (61%). The other species found were, E. hirci, E. jolchijevi, E. caprovina, E. caprina and E. pallida, present in 34, 22, 12, 9 and 4% of the samples, respectively. Oocyst counts were significantly higher in animals of less than 4-months old (P < 0.05). High oocyst counts were mainly caused by non-pathogenic species. Poor hygienic conditions were found to be associated with a higher intensity of coccidial infections. Mortality rates in kids could not be related to the intensity of coccidial infections.
During 3 collecting expeditions between October 1996 and December 1996, fecal samples were obtained from 43 adult Gonocephalus grandis from Tanah Rata and the Cameron Highlands in Peninsular Malaysia. Two species of coccidia (Isospora gonocephali n. sp. [9/43, 23%] and Eimeria cameronensis n. sp. [3/43, 7%]) were discovered. Sporulated oocysts of I. gonocephali are subspherical to ovoidal, 22.3 x 18.7 (19-25 x 17-23) microm with a bilayered wall composed of a thin inner wall and a striated outer wall with a pitted surface; oocyst residuum absent; 1 polar granule present; sporocysts are almond-shaped, 13.5 x 9.2 (12-15 x 8.5-10) microm, Stieda body broad, domelike, substieda body fanlike, sporocyst residuum consisting of coarse, nonuniform granules in an amorphous cluster; sporozoites sausage-shaped with 1 large terminal, refractile body and lay randomly in the sporocyst. Sporulated oocysts of E. cameronensis are bilayered, smooth-walled, ellipsoidal, 26.5 x 12.4 (25-28 x 12-13) microm; with 1, small, polar granule composed of 2-3 splinter-like structures fused together; oocyst residuum absent; sporocysts ovoidal, almost rectangular-shaped 8.8 x 6.6 (8-9 x 5-7) microm, with no Stieda or substieda bodies, containing scattered residuum and 2 sausage-shaped sporozoites with 1 terminal, ovoidal refractile body. No individual lizard was host to both coccidian species.
In order to attempt isolate the protozoan parasite Neospora caninum, an N. caninum seropositive pregnant Sahiwal Friesian cross heifer from a large-scale dairy farm in Malaysia was kept for observation until parturition at the Veterinary Research Institute, Ipoh. The heifer gave birth to a female calf that was weak, underweight and unable to rise. Precolostral serum from the calf had an N. caninum indirect fluorescent antibody test titre of 1:3200. It died 12 h after birth and necropsy was performed. Brain homogenate from the calf was inoculated into 10 BALB/c mice that were kept for 3 months after which brain tissue from the mice was inoculated onto 24 h fresh monolayer Vero cell lines. The cell cultures were examined daily until growth of intracellular protozoa was observed. DNA of the organisms from the cell cultures was analyzed by PCR and DNA sequencing. DNA fragments of the expected size were amplified from the isolate using N. caninum-specific primers, and sequence analysis of ITS1 clearly identified the isolate as N. caninum. This is the first successful isolation of N. caninum from a bovine in Malaysia, and the isolate is designated Nc-MalB1.
Culturing fishes in marine cages is a rapidly developing area of marine aquaculture. The Asian seabass Lates calcarifer (Bloch) is a fast growing good quality fish that is readily cultured in intensive systems in the South Asian region and in Malaysia in particular. Although several papers have been published to date on viral, bacterial, parasitic and fungal organisms causing diseases in the Asian seabass, the occurrence of a coccidian infection in this species has only recently been recorded. We collected sporulated and unsporulated oöcysts of a new species of Goussia Labbé, 1986, from the mucus covering the epithelium of the intestine of L. calcarifer. This paper provides a description of Goussia kuehae n. sp. Sporulated oöcysts of this species are ellipsoidal, 37-40 μm in length and 28-30 μm in width. The ellipsoidal sporocysts are relatively small, 15.2-17 × 5.7-8 μm, and located loosely in the oöcyst. There are residual bodies both in the oöcysts and the sporocysts. Goussia kuehae n. sp. differs from all known species of Goussia in the large size of the oöcysts and in having two types of oöcyst residuum.
Recent reports from New Zealand indicate Neospora caninum has a possible role in causing abortions in sheep. Transmission of N. caninum via semen has been documented in cattle. This study aimed to investigate if horizontal transmission through semen was also possible in sheep. Initially, 6-month old crossbred ram lambs (n=32), seronegative to N. caninum, were divided into 4 equal groups. Group 1 remained uninoculated whilst the remainder were inoculated with N. caninum tachyzoites intravenously as follows: Group 2 - 50 tachyzoites; Group 3 - 10(3) tachyzoites; Group 4 - 10(7) tachyzoites. Semen samples were collected weekly for 8 weeks for the detection of N. caninum DNA and quantified using quantitative PCR (qPCR). Plasma collected 1 month post-inoculation was subjected to ELISA (IDEXX Chekit) and Western blot. At 2 weeks post-infection, three rams from Group 1 (uninoculated) and three rams from Group 4 (10(7)tachyzoites/ml) were mated with two groups of 16 ewes over two oestrus cycles. Ewe sera collected 1 and 2 months post-mating were tested for seroconversion by ELISA and Western blot. All experimentally infected rams seroconverted by 1 month with ELISA S/P% values ranging from 11% to 36.5% in Group 2, 12-39.5% in Group 3 and 40-81% in Group 4. However, none of the ewes mated with the experimentally infected rams seroconverted. For the Western blot, responses towards immunodominant antigens (IDAs) were observed in ram sera directed against proteins at 10, 17, 21, 25-29, 30, 31, 33 and 37 kDa. Rams in Group 2, 3 and 4 were noted to have at least 3 IDAs present. None of the ewes showed any of the 8 prominent IDAs except for the one at 21 kDa which was seen in 30 out of 32 ewes in both groups. N. caninum DNA was detected intermittently in the ram's semen up to 5 weeks post-inoculation with the concentrations ranging from that equivalent to 1-889 tachyzoites per ml of semen. Low concentrations of N. caninum DNA were also detected in the brain tissue of two rams (Groups 1 and 4). These results suggest that although N. caninum DNA can be found in the semen of experimentally infected rams, the transmission of N. caninum via natural mating is an unlikely event.