Ultrastructural differentiation between sarcocysts of Sarcocystis hirsuta and Sarcocystis hominis

The ultrastructure of macroscopic (2-7 mm) Sarcocystis hirsuta sarcocysts from naturally infected cattle from New Zealand was compared with the ultrastructure of 222-day-old S. hominis in experimentally infected cattle in the United States. The villar protrusions of S. hirsuta were approximately 8 microns long, constricted at the base, expanded laterally in the mid-region and tapered distally. Some of the villar tips were folded to form two to four conical projections. The distal portion of the villar protrusions was bent at an angle of 45-90 degrees to the sarcocyst surface. The villar core contained numerous microfilaments and rows of electron-dense granules. The villar protrusions of S. hominis were cylindrical, oriented nearly perpendicularly to the sarcocyst surface, not constricted at their base and contained relatively few electron-dense granules. Although the sarcocysts of S. hirsuta were indistinguishable from those of S. hominis by light microscopy, they were distinguishable ultrastructurally.