Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian EH25 9RG, United Kingdom.
Vet Parasitol. 2013 Mar 31;193(1-3):252-5. doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2012.12.016. Epub 2012 Dec 20.
Protozoal merozoites were identified in the cerebrospinal fluid of two sheep with neurological disease in the UK. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) identified the merozoites as Sarcocystis capracanis, a common protozoal pathogen of goats. This is the first report of this species infecting sheep and may represent an aberrant infection with sheep acting as dead end hosts, or alternatively could indicate that sheep are able to act as intermediate hosts for S. capracanis, widening the previously reported host range of this pathogen. It is possible that S. capracanis is a previously unrecognised cause of ovine protozoal meningoencephalitis (OPM) in the UK.
在英国，两名患有神经疾病的绵羊的脑脊液中发现了原生动物裂殖体。聚合酶链反应（PCR）鉴定裂殖体为卡氏肉孢子虫，这是山羊常见的原生动物病原体。这是该物种感染绵羊的首例报告，可能代表绵羊作为终末宿主的异常感染，或者表明绵羊能够作为卡氏肉孢子虫的中间宿主，扩大了该病原体以前报道的宿主范围。卡氏肉孢子虫可能是英国以前未被识别的绵羊原虫性脑膜脑炎（OPM）的原因。
