Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T00:41:02.888Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The morphology and biology of Trypanosoma (Herpetosoma) evotomys of the bank-vole, Clethrionomys glareolus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2009

David H. Molyneux
Affiliation:
Molteno Institute, Cambridge

Extract

The morphology and biology of the various stages of the life-cycle of Trypanosoma evotomys has been studied in laboratory bred vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. The morphology of T. evotomys in the blood of the bank-vole, Clethrionomys glareolus, is typical of that of a trypanosome of the subgenus Herpetosoma, but the shape and size of the trypanosome in C. glareolus is more variable during the reproductive phase of the infection than in the adult phase. The duration of the infection of T. evotomys in C. glareolus varies from 22 to 31 days in experimental infections and the incubation period of the infection initiated by metatrypanosomes is 5–6 days. The peak of the parasitaemia varied from 15000 to 55000 parasites per mm3 of blood. The reproductive stages of T. evotomys are found in the spleen and lymphoid tissue (appendix) of the bank-vole, and reproduction is by equal, binary or multiple fission in the amastigote stage. T. evotomys was not transmissible to M. agrestis, mice or rats. Cyclical development of T. evotomys took place in the flea, Nosopsyllus fasciatus, and metatrypanosomes developed in the intestine of the flea. No intracellular forms of T. evotomys were found in the mid-gut of the flea.

The encouragement, help and advice of Dr P. Tate is gratefully acknowledged. Financial support was received from the Agricultural Research Council to whom thanks are also due.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1969

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Baker, J. R., Chitty, D. & Phipps, E. (1965). Blood parasites of wild voles, Microtus agrestis, in England. Parasitology 53, 297301.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bray, R. S. & Garnham, P. C. C. (1962). The Giemsa-colophonium method for staining Protozoa in tissue sections. Indian J. Malar. 16, 153–5.Google ScholarPubMed
Davis, B. S. (1952). Studies on the trypanosomes of some Californian mammals. Univ. Calif. Publs Zool. 57, 145250.Google Scholar
Elton, C., Ford, E. B. & Baker, J. R. (1931). The health and parasites of a wild mouse population. With a bacteriological note by A. D. Gardner. Proc. zool. Soc. Lond. 101, 657721.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grewal, M. S. (1957). The life-cycle of the British rabbit trypanosome, Trypanosoma nabiasi Railliet, 1895. Parasitology 47, 100–18.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hoare, C. A. (1936). Morphological and taxonomic studies on mammalian trypanosomes. I. The method of reproduction in its bearing upon classification, with special reference to the Lewisi group. Parasitology 28, 98109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoare, C. A. (1966). The classification of mammalian trypanosomes. Ergebn. Mikrobiol. ImmunForsch. exp. Ther. 39, 4357.Google ScholarPubMed
Hoare, C. A. (1967). Evolutionary trends in mammalian trypanosomes. In Advances in Parasitology, vol. 5. Ed. Dawes, B.. London and New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Krampitz, H. E. (1961). Kritisches zur Taxonomie und Systematik parasitischer Saugetier-trypanosomen mit besonderer Beachtung einiger der in Wuhlmausen verbreiteten spezifischen formen. Z. Tropenmed. Parasit. 12, 117–37.Google Scholar
Leeson, H. S. (1932). Methods of rearing and maintaining large stocks of fleas and mosquitoes for experimental purposes. Bull. ent. Res. 23, 2531.Google Scholar
Minchin, E. A. & Thomson, J. D. (1915). The rat-trypanosome, Trypanosoma lewisi, in its relation to the rat-flea Ceratophyllus fasciatus. Q. Jl Microsc. Sci. 60, 463692.Google Scholar
Molyneux, D. H. (1968). The trypanosomes of Microtus agrestis and Clethrionomys glareolus. Parasitology 58, 67 p.Google Scholar
Molyneux, D. H. (1969). The fine structure of the epimastigote forms of Trypanosoma lewisi in the rectum of Nosopsyllus fasciatus. Parasitology 59, 5566.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ormerod, W. E. & Killick-Kendrick, R. (1965). Developmental forms of Trypanosoma lewisi in the vasa recta of the kidney. Trans. R. Soc. trop. Med. Hyg. 50, 4.Google Scholar
Ring, M. (1959). Studies on the parasitic Protozoa of wild mice from Berkshire with a description of a new species of Trichomonas. Proc. zool. Soc. Lond. 132, 381401.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosicky, B. (1962). Disease cycles in Nature—natural foci of diseases. In The Problems of laboratory Animal Disease. Edited by Harris, R. J. C.. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Smit, F. G. A. M. (1957). Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects, Vol. 1, pt. 16. Siphonaptera. London: Royal Entomological Society of London.Google Scholar
Watson, E. A. & Hadwen, S. (1912). Trypanosomes found in Canadian mammals. Parasitology 5, 21–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wood, F. D. (1937). Trypanosoma neotomae, sp.nov., in the dusky-footed wood rat and the wood rat flea. Univ. Calif. Publs Zool. 41, 133–44.Google Scholar