[Isolation and experimental transmission of Sarcocystis moulei Neveu-Lemaire, 1912]

Of 44 several years old goats slaughtered in Kabul/Afghanistan 16 proved to be infected ith Sarcocystis moulei. The large white cysts measuring 2-16 x 1-9 mm were found exclusively in oesophageal muscle tissues of the animals. A total of 4 million sporocysts were harvested from mucosal scrapings of the small intestines of two young cats which had been killed 11 or 14 days after being fed with S. moulei-containing oesophagi of those goats. For transmission experiments in Berlin 11 kids from a S. moulei-free goat breeding as well as 5 Sarcocystis-free cats were used. In a preliminary experiment 3 young goats were orally inoculated with 200 or 2000 sporocysts from Kabul. In further consecutive trials each of the 8 remaining kids received 1000 sporocysts, which were isolated from the intestines of cats after feeding them S. moulei-cysts from successfully infected goats of the first experiment in Berlin. No cysts could be detected in oesophageal muscle tissues of two goats which were slaughtered 4 or 6 months after sporocyst application. Also no sporocysts were excreted by two cats which were fed with the oesophagi of those two animals. In oesophageal muscle tissues of the 9 remaining goats, which were slaughtered 19, 25, 43, 44, 59 or 86 months after infection, 17 to 140 macroscopically visible cysts of S. moulei were found. A definite correlation between age and size of cysts was observed. 19 months p.i. cysts measured 1-2 x 0.5-1 mm, at 43 or 44 months p.i. they were already 1-8 x 1-4 mm, and finally 86 months p.i. they reached a size of 7-13 x 5-8 mm. In H.E. stained histological sections cysts appeared to be subdivided into honeycomb like chambers by very prominent septae. In smaller cysts all chambers were filled with sickle shaped cystozoites, whereas in larger cysts only the chambers at the periphery contained cystozoites. Groups of metrocytes were seen within the cyst groundsubstance at the periphery of cysts indicating further growth, even of very large cysts. Cyst walls measured up to 10 microns in thickness and were composed of a primary and a secondary cyst wall. The thin primary cyst wall was folded irregularly to give cauliflower like protrusions, which were up to 4.4 microns high. The parasitized host cell formed a thick surrounding layer of 6 to 7.5 microns, which was covered by a 2 to 2.5 microns thick layer of connective tissue. All three cats which were fed with S. moulei-cysts in Berlin excreted S. moulei-sporocysts with their faeces. Prepatency was 10 days. A total of 100 sporocysts measured 11.6-13.1 x 8.7-9.4 microns.