Date of Award:

5-1-1975

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

Biology

Department name when degree awarded

Biology

Committee Chair(s)

Datus M. Hammond

Committee

Datus M. Hammond

Committee

Hugh P. Stanley

Committee

Thomas L. Bahler

Committee

Paul B. Carter

Committee

J. Legrand Shupe

Committee

John R. Simmons

Abstract

The sporozoites, schizonts, and early sexual stages of Eimeria magna were studied both in vivo and in vitro. Four generations of schizogony were seen both in the animal and in cell cultures. Three different types of schizogony were observed for this coccidia. Nuclear division occurred in the sporozoites to produce sporozoiteshaped schizonts. Internal membrane formation of the first-generation merozoites was seen in these schizonts. Multinucleate merozoites were present in all four generations of schizonts. In the first three generations of schizonts, the multinucleate merozoites or meroschizonts produced the next generation of uninucleate merozoites through internal membrane formation. The internal membrane migrated to the surface of the meroschizont and budded externally. The merogony occurred within the original parasitophorous vacuole of the multinucleate merozoites. The fourth-generation multinucleate merozoites did not have internal membrane formation, and it is not known at the present time what their function is in the life cycle of Eimeria magna. Some uninucleate merozoites were formed by external budding from the surface of the spherical or elongate schizonts. The third-generation uninucleate merozoites could produce either fourth-generation schizonts or sexual stages. All fourth-generation merozoites produced sexual stages.

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