Sarcocystis transmitted by blood transfusion.

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Parasitology
• Animal Pathology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Sarcocystosis is a parasitic disease affecting various animal species.
• Oral ingestion of sporocysts is a known route of infection for Sarcocystis species.
• The transmission of Sarcocystis via blood transfusion has not been extensively studied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential for blood transfusion to transmit Sarcocystis parasites between intermediate hosts of the same species.
• To determine if merozoites in blood can cause infection and lead to cyst formation in recipient animals.

Main Methods:

• Oral infection of calves, lambs, and pigs with sporocysts of Sarcocystis bovicanis, Sarcocystis ovicanis, and Sarcocystis suihominis.
• Collection of blood containing merozoites from acutely infected donors.
• Transfusion of infected blood into uninfected recipients of the same species.
• Histological examination of tissues from recipients and controls to detect intramuscular cysts.

Main Results:

• Donors infected with Sarcocystis species died from acute sarcocystosis.
• Transfusion recipients developed significant numbers of intramuscular Sarcocystis cysts.
• Uninfected, non-transfused control animals showed few or no cysts, confirming transmission via blood.

Conclusions:

• Blood transfusion is an effective method for transmitting Sarcocystis bovicanis, Sarcocystis ovicanis, and Sarcocystis suihominis between intermediate hosts of the same species.
• Merozoites present in the blood of infected animals can establish new infections and form cysts in recipients.
• This finding has implications for understanding parasite spread and implementing biosecurity measures in livestock.