Ultrastructural analysis of rickettsia - like organisms in the oyster Crassostrea rizophorae from the northeastern atlantic coast of Brazil
Braz. j. morphol. sci
;
22(1): 5-8, jan.-mar. 2005. ilus
Article
in English
| LILACS
| ID: lil-413778
RESUMO
In this report, we describe the ultrastructural morphology of rickettsialike organisms (RLOs) present in gill epithelial tissue of the oyster, Crassostrea rizophorae, from the estuarine region of the Parnaíba river, on the northeastern Atlantic coast of Brazil. Numerous rod-shaped RLOs formed microcolonies that were located in intracytoplasmic vacuoles up to 85 micrometers in diameter. These RLOs, which measured about 2 micrometers x 0.6 micrometers, had ultrastructural characteristics of prokaryotes that included a plasma membrane and a thin, Gram-negative type cell wall. Some nondividing RLOs had a transversal constriction indicative of binary fission. The disappearance of the apical cilia with concomitant lysis of the gill epithelial cells close to the parasitized cells suggested that the RLOs may be associated with mortality in these oysters. Numerous free RLOs were seen following disruption of the vacuoles during host cell necrosis and degeneration. This is the first description of a Rickettsiales-like organism in the Atlantic fauna of Brazil.
Full text:
Available
Index:
LILACS (Americas)
Main subject:
Ostreidae
/
Rickettsia
Limits:
Animals
Country/Region as subject:
South America
/
Brazil
Language:
English
Journal:
Braz. j. morphol. sci
Journal subject:
Anatomy
Year:
2005
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Brazil
/
Portugal
Institution/Affiliation country:
Federal University of Amazonia/BR
/
Federal University of Piauí/BR
/
University of Oporto/PT
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS