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Experimental Transmission of Caryospora simplex (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) to Palestine Vipers, Vipera xanthina palestinae (Serpentes: Viperidae)
Author(s) -
UPTON STEVE J.,
BARNARD SUSAN M.
Publication year - 1986
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.1550-7408.1986.tb05572.x
Subject(s) - viper , eimeriidae , biology , viperidae , apicomplexa , ophidia , microbiology and biotechnology , fishery , immunology , protozoal disease , venom , malaria
. Four littermate, laboratory‐reared Palestine vipers, Vipera xanthina palestinae (#149, #150, #151, #152) (Serpentes: Viperidae) were used to determine modes by which Caryospora simplex (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) could be transmitted to snakes. Viper #149 was inoculated orally by stomach tube with 5.0 x 10 4 sporulated oocysts of C. simplex obtained from the feces of an Ottoman viper, V. x. xanthina and began passing unsporulated oocysts of C. simplex 121 days post‐inoculation (DPI). Viper #150 was fed five mice that had been inoculated orally £25 days previously with 5.0 x 10 4 sporulated oocysts of C. simplex and it began passing unsporulated oocysts of C. simplex 33 days after being fed the first two of five mice. Viper #151 was inoculated orally with sporulated oocysts of C. simplex obtained from viper #150 and began passing oocysts 52 DPI. Viper #152 served as an uninoculated control and did not pass oocysts of any species of coccidian. This study demonstrates that snake/snake and mouse/snake transmission of C. simplex readily occurs.