Life cycle ofSarcocystis tenella in sheep and dog

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Abstract
ForSarcocystis tenella, the second microscopic sarcocyst in sheep, the dog was shown to act as final host shedding sporocysts measuring 13.75–15.8 (14.8±0.8)×9.7–10.8 (10.1±0.4) μm after a prepatent period of 8–13 days. The clinical signs and the course of experimental infections in sheep were most similar toS. ovicanis. After high doses of sporocysts sheep had temperatures up to 42° C, anaemia, and paresis; they finally died from haemorrhagic diathesis. The development ofS. tenella in sheep was studied and it resulted in microscopic cysts in the musculature that measured 300–650×20–50 μm. They showed hair-like delicate protrusions of the cyst wall measuring 6–8×S. tenella could be clearly differentiated fromS. ovicanis from day 60 p.i. onwards. The decreasing number ofS. tenella through degeneration of cysts is suggested to be a self-cleaning process.