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Some Observations on the Morphology and Division of Balantidium coli and Balantidium caviae (?)
Author(s) -
KRASCHENINNIKOW SERHIJ,
WENRICH D. H.
Publication year - 1958
Publication title -
the journal of protozoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.067
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1550-7408
pISSN - 0022-3921
DOI - 10.1111/j.1550-7408.1958.tb02551.x
Subject(s) - anatomy , biology , cilium , fibrous joint , microbiology and biotechnology
SYNOPSIS. Studies of the body ciliature of Balantidium coli and B. caviae (?) after Breslau's opal‐blue and Klein's silver nitrate techniques revealed a preoral‐dorsal suture area where some of the ciliary rows fail to reach the peristomial margin. The incomplete kineties ranged up to a dozen in number and were variable in arrangement. In a count of 100 specimens of B. caviae (?) the incomplete kineties were at the right of the suture in 39, at the left in 24 and on both sides of the suture line in 37. At the posterior end not many kineties reach the pole but no sutural pattern was seen in that region. Scattered irregularities in the ciliary rows were sometimes seen. Studies of the oral region tend to confirm the view of Fauré‐Fremiet that the peristomial ciliature consists of short rows of cilia which are continuations of the anterior body kineties. Membranelles were not found. Thus, some species of Balantidium , at least, show affinities with the Holotricha in agreement with Nie and Fauré‐Fremiet. Fission commonly produces two equal‐sized daughters but many cases of unequal division were observed. In both these species conjugants are much smaller than vegetative animals and two preconjugant divisions are indicated, the first of which may be unequal. During the early stages of fission, the anterior ends of the kineties of the posterior daughter change direction, becoming oblique in the fission zone. In this region the kinetosomes multiply; possibly some of the kineties also divide but evidence for this is incomplete. No evidence of reorganization at the anterior end of the anterior daughter was seen. Attempts to infect hamsters with B. coli and B. caviae (?) failed. No parasites were found in two collared peccaries repeatedly examined.