In this article the results of macro- and microanatomic, histological studies of Sarcocystis bertrami in horses skeletal muscles are presented. There is insufficient data on the morphology of the protozoa in the literature, so the purpose of this study was a detailed study of the morphology of the parasite and its localization. The methods of macro- and microanatomic preparation, the method of histological examination with hematoxylin-eosin staining were used. Our studies showed that sarcocysts had a wide range of length (from 0.5 to 10 mm), width (diameter) did not have such a wide range (0.7–0.8 mm). The parasite has a fusiform or filamentous shape depending on its length. Protozoa are localized in the middle or on the periphery of the muscle fiber (myocyte), closer to the epithelium and perimisium. Sarcocystosis should be taken into account if the horse has signs of ataxia, muscular atrophy, myositis, depression, weakness, head tilt and dysphagia, which can occur with massive infection. The localization of the parasite inside the muscle fiber disrupts its normal functioning,nutrition and causes a protective reaction of the body to a foreign protein, resulting in microinflammation and other atypical reactions of the body's immune system. In this case, serological studies are necessary. Diagnosis can be performed postmortem by light microscopy and visual examination of muscle tissue, especially in muscles with a well-defined muscular abdomen and long muscle fibers of 15 mm. At the same time, the problem of sarcocystosis is of great importance due to the fact that humans use horse meat for food, therefore, proper and timely veterinary and sanitary assessment of animal meat will ensure safety for consumer health.
horses, sarcocysts, protozoa, parasites, skeletal muscles, histology, morphology, microanatomy
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