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Volume 52, Issue 4

2013 Next

Publication date: 28.01.2014

Description

Acta Protozoologica - International Journal on Protistology - is a quarterly journal that publishes current and comprehensive, experimental, and theoretical contributions across the breadth of protistology, and cell biology of Eukaryote microorganisms including: behaviour, biochemistry and molecular biology, development, ecology, genetics, parasitology, physiology, photobiology, systematics and phylogeny, and ultrastructure. It publishes original research reports, critical reviews of current research written by invited experts in the field, short communications, book reviews, and letters to the Editor.

Licence: None

Editorial team

Editor-in-Chief Orcid Krzysztof Wiąckowski

Issue content

O. Roger Anderson, Krista McGuire

Acta Protozoologica, Volume 52, Issue 4, 2013, pp. 217-227

https://doi.org/10.4467/16890027AP.14.002.1439

The ecology of tundra terrestrial environments has gained increasing attention due to potential major changes resulting from global warming and climate change. However, the composition of terrestrial microbial communities and their role in the biogeochemical carbon cycle are less well studied. This is the first report of the C-biomass of bacteria, fungi, and representative protozoa (heterotrophic nanoflagellates, naked amoebae, and testate amoebae) in Alaskan tundra soil samples, and the effects of glucose solution enrichment in laboratory studies simulating release of soluble organic compounds as may occur during permafrost melt and increased plant root exudates due to global warming. The data for three moss-rich surface samples, two in spring and one in summer (2011), are reported for C-supplemented (8,000 μg glucose-C) and non-supplemented treatments in laboratory culture. Seven days after supplementation, fungal C-biomass in the glucose-treated and untreated samples were similar in the range of 5 to 11 mg g–1 soil dry weight, the highest values in the summer samples. The bacterial C-biomass was the next highest in the range of 20 to 120 μg g–1 soil dry weight, followed by heterotrophic nanoflagellates (2 to 14 μg g–1 soil dry weight). The naked amoebae (0.13 to 0.94 μg C g–1 soil dry weight) and testate amoebae (2 to 20 ng C g–1 soil dry weight) contributed the least C-biomass. All of the bacterial and protozoan treatments showed increased biomass with glucose supplementation. Based on size, and C-biomass estimates, the phagotrophic protozoa appear to be organized in a classical bacterial-based trophic hierarchy (i.e. bacteria – nanoflagellates – naked amoebae – testate amoebae, in ascending order). Correlations of the C-biomass of bacteria to each of the protozoa, provided further evidence of a trophic pyramid; bacteria vs. nanoflagellates (r = –0.986), indicating top-down control by predatory flagellates, bacteria vs. naked amoebae (r = –0.361) and bacteria vs. testate amoebae (r = –0.131), each of decreasing magnitude as would be predicted for higher level consumers. Estimates of bacterial predation indicated strong predatory pressures on bacteria by the protozoa, greater with C-supplementation compared to the non-supplemented treatments.

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Vasily V. Zlatogursky

Acta Protozoologica, Volume 52, Issue 4, 2013, pp. 229-236

https://doi.org/10.4467/16890027AP.14.004.1441

The cell body of centrohelid heliozoans is covered with a layer of scales. These scales have species-specific morphology and, since they present in the trophic stage of the cell cycle can be termed “trophic” scales. Several species are known to form cysts; during this process they can produce specific “cyst” scales, different from trophic scales. The present paper describes morphology of cyst scales in two species of centrohelid heliozoans: Raineriophrys erinaceoides and Raphidiophrys heterophryoidea. The latter species has two types of cyst scales: scales of the first type resemble trophic scales in general structure but, their borders are broad, flattened and not enrolled. Scales of the second type are polygonal and connected to each other by special teeth, forming a single layer organized in a jig-saw puzzle-like manner. In Raineriophrys erinaceoides only one type of cyst scale was found. These scales are polygonal and completely different from trophic scales. It is unclear whether these scales form a puzzle-like layer or just overlap each other. Newly excysted individuals keep remnants of cyst scales in their cell coverings and at this stage cyst scales can easily be noted. The morphology of the cyst scales reported here is unlike any other previously reported.

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Helge Abildhauge Thomsen, Jette Buch Østergaard, Mikal Heldal

Acta Protozoologica, Volume 52, Issue 4, 2013, pp. 237-256

https://doi.org/10.4467/16890027AP.14.007.1444

A contingent of weakly calcified coccolithophorid genera and species were described from polar regions almost 40 years ago. In the interim period a few additional findings have been reported enlarging the realm of some of the species. The genus Wigwamma is revisited here with the purpose of providing, based on additional sampling from both polar regions, an update on species morphology, life history events and biogeography that can serve as a reference for the future. A new genus, Pseudowigwamma gen. nov. is described to accommodate Wigwamma scenozonion, a species which critically deviates from a core group of five Wigwamma species in terms of coccolith morphology and life history events. Wigwamma armatura sp. nov. is described on the basis of material from the Weddell Sea, Antarctica. While fitting nicely into the Wigwamma generic concept, the species adds new dimensions to the overall appearance of the coccolith armour of the cell.

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Ewa Przyboś, Sebastian Tarcz, Marta Surmacz, Natalia Sawka, Sergei I. Fokin

Acta Protozoologica, Volume 52, Issue 4, 2013, pp. 257-266

https://doi.org/10.4467/16890027AP.13.022.1314

New stands of Paramecium tredecaurelia, a rare species of the P. aurelia spp. complex, were identified in Thailand and Madagascar on the basis of mating reactions and molecular markers (rDNA and mtDNA). Analysis of DNA fragments showed that all P. tredecaurelia strains, the recently recorded ones and the ones known previously from France, Mexico, and Israel, form a monophyletic and well-defined clade in the P. aurelia species trees. All of these strains, collected from different localities around the world, represent identical or nearly identical haplotypes in terms of all the studied DNA fragments. Given the huge distances between particular collection sites, such a low level of variability of the studied sequences may result from a slow rate of evolution in P. tredecaurelia.

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Saleh Al-Quraishy, Abdel-Azeem S. Abdel-Baki, Mamdooh S. A. AL Otaibi

Acta Protozoologica, Volume 52, Issue 4, 2013, pp. 267-272

https://doi.org/10.4467/16890027AP.13.024.1315

Choleoeimeria bunopusi sp. n. is described from the gall bladder of the tuberculated gecko Bunopus tuberculatus in Saudi Arabia. The prevalence of infection was 13.3% (2/15). Oocysts were ellipsoidal and measured 31 (30–33) × 21 (20–22) μm. Sporocysts were dizoic, elliptical in shape and measured 12 (11–13) × 7 (6–8) μm. The endogenous development was confined to the gall bladder epithelium. The hypertrophic parasitized biliary epithelium either remained in one layer or became stratified. Meronts, gamonts, and young oocysts were detected.

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Daniele Corsaro, Julia Walochnik, Danielle Venditti, Karl-Dieter Müller, Rolf Michel

Acta Protozoologica, Volume 52, Issue 4, 2013, pp. 273-281

https://doi.org/10.4467/16890027AP.13.025.1316

A thermophilic strain of Naegleria clarki, isolated from a pond, has previously been investigated for its peculiarity to host a cytoplasmic symbiont, which causes a loss of the ability to form cysts. This endosymbiont, called Pcb, was itself infected by a phage, and exhibited chlamydia-like features resembling to another symbiont of Naegleria previously described as Protochlamydia naegleriophila. We report in this study, the results of amoeba host range and 16S rDNA molecular phylogeny of this strain, showing that Pcb is a new strain of the Naegleria endosymbiont chlamydial species Protochlamydia naegleriophila (Chlamydiae: Parachlamydiaceae).

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Lúcio André Viana, Adarene Guimarães da Silva Motta, Marcos Eduardo Coutinho, Carlos Frederico Duarte Rocha

Acta Protozoologica, Volume 52, Issue 4, 2013, pp. 283-289

https://doi.org/10.4467/16890027AP.13.026.1317

During November 2011, faeces from 23 black caimans (Melanosuchus niger) were collected from the Brazilian Amazon, and coccidians were found in 83% of the individuals examined. Three Eimeria species were found in the black caiman faeces, two of which were recognised as new species and are subsequently described in the present study. Eimeria paraguayensis was found in 17 of 23 animals sampled. Eimeria nigeri n. sp were found in 16/23 animals examined. Oocysts were spherical to sub-spherical, 29.2 × 28.1 (23–32 × 23–30) μm, and 12.1 × 11.0 μm spherical oocyst residuum was present. Sporocyst was ovoid, 15.5 × 9.7 (8–11 × 12–17) μm, and had a Stieda body at a slightly pointed end. The sporocyst residuum consisted of a compact mass of refractile granules. Eimeria portovelhensis n. sp. were found in 16/23 animals examined. Oocysts were spheroidal, 19.5 × 19.1 (16–21) μm, and had 9.0 × 7.8 μm spherical oocyst residuum present. The spindle-shaped sporocysts were 11.0 × 4.0 (8–13 × 2–5) μm and had two apparent Stieda bodies, one at each pole and with one filament curved at each pole. Sporocyst residuum was present, with four or five small refractile granules. The two new species are differentiated from the five species of Eimeria recorded within the crocodilian family Alligatoridae.

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Kenny Contreras, Matías J. Cafaro

Acta Protozoologica, Volume 52, Issue 4, 2013, pp. 291-297

https://doi.org/10.4467/16890027AP.13.027.1318

Symbiosis is the association between two non-related organisms. The common yellow-banded millipede, Anadenobolus monilicornis (Diplopoda: Spirobolida: Rhinocricidae) and the protist Enterobryus luteovirgatus sp. nov. (Ichthyosporea: Eccrinales), a species of hair-like microorganism that inhabits its gut, form a commensalistic relationship. The genus Enterobryus was once part of a fungal class (Trichomycetes), but now it is classified as a protist. Other Enterobryus species have been reported associated with non-carnivorous arthropod hosts including beetles, crabs and millipedes. Yellow-banded millipedes from Guanica Dry Forest, Puerto Rico were collected to study the prevalence of Enterobryus species. A new Enterobryus species that inhabits A. monilicornis is herein described. Traditionally, Enterobryus species are difficult to identify due to high intraspecific variation. Thus, statistical analysis of character measurements is included in an attempt to investigate character stability. Millipedes were dissected; gut linings with attached Enterobryus were placed on slides and preserved. Morphometric data of thalli, sporangiospores and holdfasts presented a normal distribution of parameters except for the basal disk width of the holdfast, which showed extreme variation. This character, although used to described Enterobryus species is not reliable in E. luteovirgatus when using the mean or range values in taxon descriptions.

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Julia M. Malysh, Yuri S. Tokarev, Natalia V. Sitnicova, Vyacheslav V. Martemyanov, Andrei N. Frolov, Irma V. Issi

Acta Protozoologica, Volume 52, Issue 4, 2013, pp. 299-308

https://doi.org/10.4467/16890027AP.13.028.1319

Adults of beet webworm Loxostege sticticalis were collected in Western Siberia in 2009 and 2010. A microsporidium was found infecting 12 of 50 moths in 2010. The parasite develops in direct contact with host cell cytoplasm, sporogony is presumably disporoblastic. The spores are ovoid, diplokaryotic, 4.2 × 2.4 μm in size (fresh), without a sporophorous vesicle. Electron microscopy showed: (a) tubules on the surface of sporoblasts and immature spores; (b) slightly anisofilar polar tube with 10–14 coils, last 2–3 coils of lesser electron density; (c) bipartite polaroplast with anterior and posterior parts composed of thin and thick lamellae, respectively; (d) an indentation in the region of the anchoring disc; (e) an additional layer of electron-dense amorphous matter on the exospore surface. The spore ultrastructure is characteristic of the genus Tubulinosema. Sequencing of small subunit and large subunit ribosomal RNA genes showed 98–99.6% similarity of this parasite to the Tubulinosema species available on Genbank. A new species Tubulinosema loxostegi sp. n. is established.

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Daniele Corsaro, Danielle Venditti

Acta Protozoologica, Volume 52, Issue 4, 2013, pp. 309-316

https://doi.org/10.4467/16890027AP.13.029.1320

Some amoebae were recovered from freshwater samples on agar plates. Due to a fungal contamination tightly associated with these amoebae, it was impossible to correctly characterize them on a morphological base, but sequences of the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene (SSU rDNA) were successfully obtained from three strains. Phylogenetic analysis performed on these SSU rDNA allowed to identify these amoebae as members of a new lineage, related to the Dermamoebida, which includes also several other environmental SSU sequences.

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Nikhil Buduma, Jenny Balabanian, Pranati Dalvi, Soo-Khee Chia, Ashreet Dhaliwal, Dany Eliya, John Boothby, Shannon Bros-Seemann, Ruthann Kibler, Sami Khuri, Sally Veregge

Acta Protozoologica, Volume 52, Issue 4, 2013, pp. 317-323

https://doi.org/10.4467/16890027AP.13.029.1321

Histamine is a significant biological compound because of its role in mediating the human allergic and inflammatory pathways. Antihistamines are often administered to control the irritating symptoms of allergic reactions. We evaluated phagocytosis in the protist Tetrahymena thermophila for use in screening for potential therapeutic compounds that mimic histamine and antihistamines. Tetrahymena has been frequently used as an experimental model to study compounds for biological effects or to study biological processes. Histamine and the antihistamine diphenhydramine were administered at concentrations ranging from 10–6 μM to 1000 μM, and the corresponding changes in phagocytosis were detected by flow cytometry. Treatment with histamine had no measurable effect on phagocytosis while diphenhydramine decreased phagocytic levels at concentrations above 50 μM. In a competition experiment between histamine and diphenhydramine, histamine did not reverse the dosage-dependent decrease in phagocytosis elicited by diphenhydramine. BLAST searches revealed no significant homologs of the human histamine receptors in T. thermophila. These results suggest that T. thermophila has a receptor for diphenhydramine that is linked to the phagocytic process, but not a histamine receptor. Further study is necessary to elucidate the nature of this previously uninvestigated receptor. The experimental protocol developed as a part of this study may serve as an inexpensive, high throughput, flow cytometric method to screen natural and synthetic compounds for pharmacologically significant properties.

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Jacob Lorenzo-Morales, María Valladares, Jaione Sancho, María Reyes-Batllé, Carmen M. Martín-Navarro, Atteneri López-Arencibia, Ana C. González, Luis López-Medina, José E. Piñero, Enrique Martínez-Carretero, Basilio Valladares

Acta Protozoologica, Volume 52, Issue 4, 2013, pp. 325-329

https://doi.org/10.4467/16890027AP.13.031.1322

The first case of prostatitis in a ten year old mixed breed dog due to Acanthamoeba genotype T4 is reported. The dog was suffering from kidney dysfunction and was admitted for exploration of its organs by echography. All organs were in normal conditions with the exception of the prostate which showed signs of inflammation. An ultrasound-guided puncture was thus performed for further cytological and microbiological study. When the obtained fluid was observed under the microscope, Acanthamoeba trophozoites were detected in a high number. No other pathogens were isolated. Both culture and PCR were positive for Acanthamoeba genus and the isolate was later identified as genotype T4. Unfortunately at this stage, the dog’s owner decided to reject any kind of treatment or therapy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of prostatitis in a dog due to Acanthamoeba genus.

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