If I have seen further than others, it is
by standing upon the shoulders of giants.
Isaac Newton
Lab Seven: Apicomplexan Parasites II - Malarial Parasites
(please see previous labs below)
*in all Lab photos: 1 unit = 1 µm (unless otherwise indicated)
Male Culex sp. mosquito. *Note the long bristles on the antennae.
Female Culex sp. mosquito. *Note the short palps and the short bristles on the antennae.
Plasmodium sp. oocysts on a mosquito gut.
Exoerythrocytic Plasmodium sp. in a cross-section of a human liver.
Plasmodium falciparum ring trophs in a single red blood cell from a human blood smear.
*Note (1) the size and shape of uninfected red blood cells; (2) the single ring troph in the second infected red blood cell, (3) size of Maurer's dots.
Three Plasmodium falciparum ring trophs in a single red blood cell from a human blood smear.
*Note the size and shape of uninfected red blood cells.Depending on preparation and staining, certain structures may be difficult to observe.
Single Plasmodium vivax ring troph in a single red blood cell from a human blood smear.
*Note the size of the infected cell RBC compared with the uninfected RBC.
A mature Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte.
*Note the difference in the of the uninfected and infected human red blood cells.
Do NOT be fooled into thinking white blood cells are Plasmodium parasites! White blood cells are larger in size than the red blood cells, and have a large, darkly staining, bi-lobed nucleus.
*Note that depending on how you look at them, the nucleus of white blood cells do not always appear to be bi-lobed.
Lab Six: Apicomplexan Parasites I
Eimeria perforans macrogametocyte in a gut section from a rabbit.
*Note the developing Eimeria paraites in the neighboring cells.
Two Eimeria perforans meronts in a gut section from a rabbit.
*Note the individual merozoites within the meronts.
1) One Eimeria perforans microgametocyte in a gut section from a rabbit. 2) adjustment of the fine focus shows numerous microgametes inside the microgametocyte.
* Note the host gut epithelial cells and the purple-staining host nuclei.
Eimeria stiedai oocysts in a gut cross-section from a rabbit.
*Note all the free oocyts, and those still developing in host gut epithelial cells.
Eimeria stiedai oocyst emerging from the gut epithelial cell in a rabbit gut cross-section.
*Note the space in gut wall where the oocyst developed.
Monocystis sp. oocysts in a cross-section of earthworm seminal vessicles.
*Note the clumps of oocysts.
Sarcocystis cyst in a duck muscle cross-section.
Toxoplasma gondii bradyzoites in a cyst smear from an infected mouse.
One Entamoeba histolytica cyst, photographed twice to show all four nuclei, which occur in different planes within the 3-dimensional cyst. Endosomes are centrally located within the nuclei.
Three different Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites, each with one nucleus and a centrally located endosome.
Notice the variable size and shape of these amorphous amebas.
Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites in a cross section of an intestine.
One Entamoeba coli cyst photographed to show all eight nuclei, which occur in different planes within the 3-dimensional cyst. Endosomes are off-center within the nuclei.
Entamoeba coli trophozoite with one nucleus and vacuoles containing food particles.
Iodamoeba butschlii cyst.
Giardia lamblia (G. duodenalis) cyst
Giardia lamblia (G. duodenalis) trophozoites
Chilomastix mesnili cyst
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Chilomastix mesnili trophozoite
Trichomonas vaginalis trophozoite
Termite gut flagellate
Termite gut flagellates
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Glossina (Tsetse fly) vector injects metacyclic trypomastigote stages of Trypanosoma brucei into the wound with saliva during feeding on vertebrate host.
Triatoma (Reduviidae) infects vertebrate hosts with Trypanosoma cruzi when it feeds on blood of vertebrate, and deficates at site of wound. Parasites contained in the bug's feces are rubbed into the wound, or mucosal membranes and into the blood stream.
(1) Host macrophage cell with amastigote stages of Leishmania donovani in a hamster spleen smear.
(2) Healthy host macrophage cell in a hamster spleen smear.
(3) A pseudocyst of Trypanosoma cruzi amastigotes in rat heart tissue (3.5) detail of amastigotes in pseudocyst at left.
(4) Trypanosoma brucei gambiense trypomastigote stages in a human blood smear.
(5)Trypanosoma cruzi trypomastigotes from a human blood smear.
(6) Trypanosoma lewisi trypomastigotes in human blood smear.
Leishmania sp. epimastigote in culture smear.
Alaine Knipes : PhD Candidate : School of Biological Sciences : University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NE 68588
Phone: (402) 472-2754 email
Phone: (402) 472-2754 email