Light and electron-microscopical observations of the early developmental stages of Theileria sergenti in the gut of Haemaphysalis longicornis.

Morphological characteristics of the early developmental stages of Theileria sergenti in the vector tick were observed by light and electron-microscopies and compared with those of other Theileria species. Just before the repletion of nymphs, various stages of the parasite were observed in gut contents of tick by light microscopy: the spherical intra-erythrocytic stage, the ring-form stage, the spindle-shaped stage and the round-form stage. Electron microscopy revealed that the spherical intra-erythrocytic stages were 1-2 microns in diameter and were marginally located in host erythrocytes. The organisms liberated from host erythrocytes into the tick gut lumen had a large nucleus, an endoplasmic reticulum, electron dense-organelles and a double-walled, mitochondrion-like organelle. In addition ticks had ray-bodies in the gut lumen. These bodies had short protrusions containing 1-3 microtubules and a labyrinthine structure containing highly electron-dense organelles, so they were considered as the developing microgamont of T. sergenti.