Salivary gland of the tick vector of east coast fever. III. The ultrastructure of sporogony in Theileria parva

Abstract

Sporogony of the sporozoan Theileria parva in the salivary gland of the tick vector of East Coast fever was studied in electron micrographs. The findings differ in several respects from previous interpretations based upon light microscopy. Cytokinesis of the primary sporoblast to form secondary and tertiary sporoblasts is not substantiated. Instead it is suggested that the parasite develops as a ramifying, multinucleate syncytium rapidly increasing in size and complexity until it gives rise to myriad sporozoites in a terminal episode of cytoplasmic fission. The proliferating nuclei initially occupy peripheral lobules that are continuous with a central labyrinth of branching and anastomosing processes which present a very large surface area for interchange of metabolites with the host cell cytoplasm. The membrane of the labyrinth is rich in cytostomes, but no evidence is found of bulk uptake of host cytoplasmic matrix or organelles into food vacuoles. Rhoptries are the first of the polar organelles of the parasite to develop and are associated with dense plaques irregularly distributed on the inner aspect of the parasite membrane. Micronemes form independently of the rhoptries at a later stage. After 3–4 days of tick feeding, sporogeny is complete and the infected salivary gland cell contains up to 50,000 spherical or ovoid sporozoites about 1 μm in diameter. These are limited by a simple plasma membrane. The inner layer of the ‘pellicle’, the polar ring, and the conoid described for zoites of other Apicomplexa are lacking. Maturational changes are noted in sporozoites after sporogony is completed. Micronemes appear to increase in size, and possibly in number, from days 3–5 and the majority take up positions immediately subjacent to the plasmalemma.