Dr. Murai Éva szerk.: Parasitologia Hungarica 23. (Budapest, 1990)

Parasit, hung. 23. 1990 Electron microscopic studies on in vitro stages of Trypanoplasma borelli Laveran et Mesnil, 1901* Dr. István MATSKÁSI and Éva HAJDÚ Zoological Department, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary "Electron microscopic studies on in vitro stages of Trypanoplasma borelli Laveran et Mesnil, 1901" - Matskási, I. and Hajdú, É. - Parasit, hung., 23: 5-12. 1990. ABSTRACT. Ultrastructural investigations were carried out on an in vitro cultured Trypanoplasma borelli strain isolated from the leech Piscicola geometra. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) observations revealed the features of cultured forms. Three characteristic forms of flagellates appear during serial passage. The basic structure of slender forms does not differ characteristically from that of bloodstream forms. The mitochondrial part of the kinetoplast-mitochondrion complex forms a concentric tube or an ampulla-like structure supported by cristae. The fuzzy coat of pellicle present. Dividing stages occur frequently in culture. Replication normally begins with the multiplications of the flagellar complex followed by the nucleus and completed by kinetoplast complex. The most frequent type of division binary longitudinal fission is. KEY WORDS: Trypanoplasma borelli in vitro culture, ultrastructure, cell organelles, multiplication process. Trypanoplasma borelli Laveran et Mesnil, 1901 is a common blood parasite of fishes in,Europe. It has been extensively studied in natural and experimental hosts ( LOM and NOHYNKOVÁ 1977; LOM 1979; STEINHAGEN 1985; KRAUSE 1985; KRAUSE, STEINHAGEN and KÖRTING 1989 ). The ultrastructural features of the bloodstream forms have been reported by LOM et al. (1978), LOM (1979) and BRUGEROLLE et al. (1979). The morphology of the closely related species T. salmositica has been studied by PATERSON and WOO (1983, 1984). However information on the ultrastructure of in vitro cultivated forms is lacking in the literature. The aim of this report is to describe the ultrastructural features of cultivated stages of T. borelli. * This study was supported by a grant from the National Research Fund (OTKA I)