Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, KSA.
Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.
Biosci Rep. 2021 Jan 29;41(1). doi: 10.1042/BSR20203140.
Sarcocystis spp. are intracellular protozoan parasites with an intermediate-definitive host life cycle based on a prey-predator relationship. Sarcocystis infection is common among different vertebrates including humans. The pathogenicity of Sarcocystis spp. is of varied significance including a possible lethal effect for the host. The goal of the present study was to investigate the inflammatory activity of Sarcocystis spp. in different organs of naturally infected camels. The tongue, esophagus, heart, diaphragm, and skeletal muscles were collected from 50 camels, and the tissues assessed for the presence of Sarcocystis spp. by macroscopic examination, light microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Moreover, expression of the interleukin (IL)-6 was analyzed using reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Microscopic Sarcocystis spp. cysts were found in camels. TEM identified the cysts as Sarcocystis camelicanis (S. camelicanis). Sarcocystis infection increased inflammation by stimulation of IL-6 expression in different organs of the camels, particularly in those from the Al-Qassim region.
肌肉孢子虫属是一种具有中间宿主-终末宿主生活周期的细胞内原生动物寄生虫，基于猎物-捕食者关系。肌肉孢子虫属感染在包括人类在内的不同脊椎动物中很常见。肌肉孢子虫属的致病性意义不同，包括对宿主可能有致命影响。本研究的目的是研究天然感染骆驼不同器官中肌肉孢子虫属的炎症活性。从 50 只骆驼中采集舌、食管、心脏、横膈膜和骨骼肌，并通过肉眼检查、光镜和透射电子显微镜 (TEM) 评估组织中是否存在肌肉孢子虫属。此外，使用逆转录定量聚合酶链反应 (qPCR) 分析白细胞介素 (IL)-6 的表达。在骆驼中发现了微小的肌肉孢子虫属囊肿。TEM 将囊肿鉴定为骆驼肌肉孢子虫 (S. camelicanis)。肌肉孢子虫感染通过刺激骆驼不同器官中 IL-6 的表达增加炎症，特别是在盖西姆地区的骆驼中。
