ISSN:
1550-7408
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
SVXOPSIS. Parasites belonging to the genus Cytamoeba have been found in amphibians from central and northern California. The infected animals and their numbers were (URODELA) Aneides flavipunctatus (2), A. lugubris (29), Batrachoseps a. atttnuatus (81). Dicamptodon ensatus (2), and (SALIENTIA) Rana b. boyli (1). The rates of infection varied between 0.6% and 29.3%, and the number of parasites per infected cell ranged from one to seven.Preparations stained with haematoxylin and Romanowsky dyes indicated several types of parasite: some were homogeneous, others possessed several dark staining granules and some possessed large, dark staining central bodies or peripheral dark staining rims. Parasites were seen in the erythrocytes, the plasma and, occasionally, in endothelial cells and monocytes. They were found in the peripheral and heart blood and in the blood of the liver, spleen, kidneys and lungs. Cell division was common in erythrocytes, and yielded daughter cells of identical size. In some cases, chains of 3 to 5 individuals were seen and, rarely, three bodies, in a cloverleaf configuration, were produced as the result of a single division. Following acid hydrolysis, methylene blue-stained parasites showed a peripheral ring of granules, and, in some, a few stained centrally located bodies.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1550-7408.1961.tb01177.x
