Sarcocystis in Muscles of Raccoons (Procyon lotor L.)1

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Abstract
Sarcocysts of Sarcocystis sp. were found in 26 (50%) of 52 raccoons (Procyon lotor) from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Maryland [USA]. Although only 4 (7.7%) of 52 cardiac muscle specimens were found to contain sarcocysts, 25% to 36.5% of tongue, diaphragm, masseter muscle, and esophagus specimens were found infected. By light microscopy, sarcocyst walls were <3 .mu.m thick and had no conspicuous projections; interior septa were indistinct. By transmission electron microscopy, sarcocyst walls had short (mean = 2.7 .mu.m), villus-like protrusions; thin septa were seen within the sarcocysts. The raccoon may be an intermediate host for a Sarcocystis sp. that completes its life cycle in an unidentified wild carnivore.