[Cyclospora cayetanensis - the rare causal agent of diarrhoeal diseases]. / Cyclospora cayetanensis - vzacny puvodce prujmovych onemocneni.

Cyclospora cayetanensis a casual agent of diarrhoeal diseases, was detected in 6 out of 3 097 patients between February 2009 and March 2010 using standard parasitological methods. Five cases were imported from the endemic countries. One patient was the first case with no travel history in the Czech Republic.

The endogenous development of the rabbit coccidium Eimeria exigua Yakimoff, 1934.

The coccidium Eimeria exigua from the tame rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) has been neglected so far since it was considered to be an invalid species. Indeed, little is known about this coccidium. We have studied its endogenous development in domestic rabbits by means of light and electron microscopy. The first meronts appeared 72h post-inoculation (h.p.i.), but a total of four asexual generations developed from 72 to 144h.p.i. Meronts and gamonts were localized in the small intestine and the asexual stages successively moved from the duodenum to ileum. All parasite stages were found exclusively in the epithelium of the walls and tops of the villi. Two types of meronts developing in parallel during the asexual phase were observed from at least the 2nd generation. As in other rabbit coccidia, these forms corresponded to type A, which usually develops two polynucleate merozoites where endomerogony occurs, and type B, characterized by more numerous uninucleate merozoites arising by ectomerogony. This report is the first description of the endogenous stages of E. exigua.

The rabbit coccidium Eimeria piriformis: Selection of a precocious line and life-cycle study.

Specific pathogen-free (SPF) rabbits were inoculated with oocysts of an original strain (OS) of Eimeria piriformis and the first newly developed oocysts recovered from the intestine were used for infection of other rabbits. The prepatent period (PP) was shortened after 12 passages from 194 to 170 hours and remained stable after 5 passages without any selection pressure. Oocysts of the precocious line (PL) exhibited peculiar morphology. Besides refractile bodies (RB) within sporozoites, one huge RB joined with a residual body was present inside each sporocyst. The parasite developed in the proximal colon and, to a lesser extent, in other parts of the large intestine. All stages were seen in the epithelium of crypts. In OS, four asexual generations preceded gamogony and, like in other rabbit coccidia, two types of meronts were observed: meronts of type A that develop into polynucleate merozoite, in which endomerogony takes place, and meronts of the type B that form uninucleate merozoites. The endogenous development of PL was identical with that of OS except for the last merogony which was absent. This resulted in earlier appearance of gamogony and shortening of PP. These observations of the life cycle of E. piriformis substantially improve on its description made 50-60 years ago.