A new Caryospora coccidian species (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from the laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae)

• Published in: Experimental parasitology Vol. 145; pp. 68 - 73
• Main Authors: Yang, Rongchang, Brice, Belinda, Ryan, Una
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-10-2014
• Subjects: 18S rRNA; 28S rRNA; Animals; Base Sequence; Besnoitia; Bird Diseases - epidemiology; Bird Diseases - parasitology; Birds; Caryospora; Coccidiosis - epidemiology; Coccidiosis - parasitology; Coccidiosis - veterinary; DNA, Protozoan - chemistry; DNA, Protozoan - isolation & purification; DNA, Ribosomal - chemistry; DNA, Ribosomal - isolation & purification; Eimeriidae - classification; Eimeriidae - genetics; Eimeriidae - isolation & purification; Feces - parasitology; Incidence; Kookaburra; Molecular Sequence Data; Morphology; Oocysts - ultrastructure; Phylogenetics; Phylogeny; Polymerase Chain Reaction - veterinary; Prevalence; RNA, Ribosomal, 18S - genetics; RNA, Ribosomal, 28S - genetics; Sequence Alignment - veterinary; Western Australia - epidemiology; Western Australia; Kookaburra; Caryospora; Morphology; 18S rRNA; 28S rRNA; Phylogenetics; Besnoitia
• ISSN: 0014-4894; 1090-2449
• DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2014.07.008

•Description of a new Caryospora – like coccidian parasite in kookaburra.•Morphological characterisation: most similar to Caryospora.•Molecular characterisation at 18S and 28S rRNA loci: most close to Besnoitia.
A new Caryospora coccidian species is described from the laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae). Sporulated oocysts (n=30) are ovoid in shape with a smooth, colourless, bilayered oocyst wall and measure 31.4×29.3 (30.0–32.0×28.0–31.0) μm with a shape index of 1.1. Oocysts contain one spheroidal to subspheroidal sporocyst, 21.2×20.6 (20.0–24.0×20.0–21.0) μm. A spheroidal shaped sporocyst residuum is present; micropyle, Stieda, substieda and parastieda bodies are absent. Vermiform sporozoites (n=8) are arranged either parallel or randomly in the sporocyst, measuring 17.0×4.8 (16.0–18.0×4.0–6.0) μm, with a L/W ratio of 3.5. There is a large spheroidal, posterior refractile body in the middle of the sporozoite. Morphologically, this new species is most similar to Caryospora. The prevalence of this parasite was 6.7% in birds sampled in the morning and 33.3% from those sampled after midday. Further molecular characterisation was conducted at two loci; the 18S and 28S ribosomal RNA (rRNA). At the 18S locus, the new species of Caryospora was most closely related to Besnoitia besnoiti (99.2% similarity) and Hammondia triffittae (98.8% similarity). Although, no 28S partial sequences from Caryospora were available in GenBank, the highest similarity was with B.besnoiti (91.3%). Based on morphological and molecular data, this coccidian parasite is a new species that to date has not been reported. The new coccidian parasite is named Caryospora daceloe n. sp. after its host D.novaeguineae (the laughing kookaburra).