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Created page with 'thumb|right|150px|''Sarcocytis'' Life Cycle Diagram - Dennis Jacobs & Mark Fox RVC [[Image:Sarcocystic.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''Sarcocytis'' -…'
[[Image:Sarcocystis Life Cycle.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''Sarcocytis'' Life Cycle Diagram - Dennis Jacobs & Mark Fox RVC]]
[[Image:Sarcocystic.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''Sarcocytis'' - Joaquim Castellà Veterinary Parasitology Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona]]
[[Image:Sarcocystis in sheep oesophagus.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''Sarcocystis'' in sheep oesophagus - Adam Cuerden]]
[[Image:Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis - Wikimedia Commons]]
[[Image:Sarcocystis cruzi.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''Sarcocystis cruzi'' - Courtesy of the Laboratory of Parasitology, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine]]
*Most infections are asymptomatic

*Heavy infections are causes of chronic wasting in large animals, hide condemnation and downgrading of carcasses

*''Sarcocystis'' should be differentiated from other tissue-cyst forming coccidia

*There are many species of ''Sarcocystis'' which differ in size from microscopic to several centimetres in length
**''S.neurona'' is an important equine pathogen in the USA

*Infective cyst in the intermediate host is called a '''sarcocyst'''

'''Life Cycle'''
*The individual life cycle of some species is incompletely understood

*Indirect life cycle

*Life cycle alternates between the final and the obligatory intermediate host

*Only '''one''' final and '''one''' intermediate host

*Sporulated oocyst has 2 sporocysts containing 4 sporozoites
**Naked sporocyst usually seen in faeces as the oocyst wall is very delicate
**Oocyst measures 15μm in length

*No schizogony in final host

*Gametogeny occurs deep in subepithelial tissue

*Faecal oocyst count is low

*Oocysts are sporulated when passed
**Difficult to find on faecal examination as the sporocysts are few in number and small

*Ingestion of sporocyst by intermediate host
**2 phases of rapid asexual reproduction in vascular endothelial cells
**Slow multiplication of bradyzoites in muscle tissue
**Sarcocyst forms with bradyzoites inside, surrounded by a cyst wall and divided into compartments

'''Epidemiology'''
*Final hosts are carnivores and omnivores

*Intermediate hosts are herbivores and omnivores

*Humans are the final host for some species and the intermediate hosts for others
**Final host for species infecting cattle and pigs

*Dogs are final hosts for species infecting cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and horses

*Cats are final hosts for species infecting cattle, sheep and pigs

'''Pathogenesis'''
*Widespread infection but mostly asymptomatic

*Cause meat inspection losses

*''Sarcocystis'' in [[Muscles Inflammatory - Pathology#Protozoa|myositis]]

*Experimental infections cause severe, acute pyrexic disease when the organism multiplies in the vascular endothelium

*Can cause chronic wasting disease in cattle and horses
**Causes abortion and post-natal disease in sheep

*Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis
**Necrotising encephalomyelitis affecting the grey and white matter of the CNS
**Caused by ''S.neurona''
**Opossum thought to be the definitive host
**Horses thought to be accidental hosts
**Natural intermediate hosts currently unknown
**Western Blotting shows 50% of horses in the USA are seropositive
**Risk factors poorly understood
**Causes spinal cord dysfunction
***Ataxia and paralysis[[Category:Tissue_Cyst_Forming_Coccidia]]
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