The Life Cycle of Trypanoplasma bullocki (Zoomastigophorea: Kinetoplastida)1

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Abstract
The leech Calliobdella vivida (Verrill) is the vector of Trypanoplasma bullocki. At 10°C, infective‐stage flagellates were first present in the leech's proboscis sheath five days after feeding. At 5°C, infective‐stage flagellates were not present in the leech's proboscis sheath until 10 days after feeding, but at 20°C, flagellates were located there as early as 24 h after feeding. Infected leeches retained flagellates through three subsequent feeds on uninfected fish. When flagellates were first observed in hogchoker, Trinectes maculatus (Bloch & Schneider), they were much larger than infective stages from the leech. Average flagellate length then decreased during early acute phase, but gradually increased thereafter. Peak parasitemia was greater in a hogchoker inoculated by only one leech but held at colder temperature than in a hogchoker inoculated by 45 leeches, suggesting that temperature may be more important than inoculum in determining peak parasitemia. Cell division in the fish host is described. SEM studies of fish blood flagellates revealed a pre‐oral ridge and a cytostome.