New Nosema species from silkworms in Assam133Sprague V. 1965. Nosema sp. (Microsporidia, Nosematidae) in Gnorimoschema operculella Zellar (Lepidoptera:the musculature of the crab, Callinectes sapidus. J Gelechiidae). J Parasitol 35:57-65.Protozool 12:66-70.Varva J and Barkar RJ. 1980a. <strong>The</strong> microsporidium mucocalyxSprague V, Vernick SH and Lloyd BJ. 1968. <strong>The</strong> fine structure as seen in the scanning electron microscope. Foliaof Nosema sp. Sprague, 1965 (Microsporidia, Parasitologia 27:19-21.Nosematidae) with particular reference to stage insporogony. J Invert Pathol12:105-117.Varva J and Barkar RJ. 1980b. Observation of microsporidiaspores using the scanning electron microscope. AnSteinhaus EA and Huges KM. 1949. Two newly described evaluation technique. Folia Parasitologia 27:97-102.species of Microsporidia from the potato tuberworm,
Journal of Parasitic Diseases: December 2006, Vol. 30, No. 2, 134–137J P DSignificance of the ultrastructure of spermatozoon andprostate gland of Avitellina lahorea (anoplocephalid)V. Vijayalakshmi and K. RamalingamDepartment of Zoology, Government Arts College, Nandanam, Chennai.ABSTRACT. <strong>The</strong> ultrastructure of the mature spermatozoon of Avitellina lahorea revealed fivedistinct antero-posterior regions without any clear morphological discontinuity between them. <strong>The</strong>mature sperm was observed to have a tapered outline. Cortical microtubules ran all through thelength of spermatozoa. <strong>The</strong> cytoplasm was partitioned into several compartments and containedproteinaceous materials. <strong>The</strong> nucleus was situated in the middle region of sperm. A prominentprostate gland was visible. <strong>The</strong> various stages of spermiogenesis and mature spermatozoon could beseen in the mature proglottid region. <strong>The</strong> sperms were visible within the vaginal wall.Keywords: Avitellina lahorea, prostate gland, spermatozoa, ultrastructureINTRODUCTIONMATERIALS AND METHODS<strong>The</strong> cestodes represent an important helminthic group <strong>The</strong> portions of A. lahorea mature proglottidesof endoparasites, which infect sheep. <strong>The</strong>ir containing seminal vesicles and testes were removedendoparasitic existence resulted in the loss of gut, but an from Ovis aries by using a binocular microscope,increase in their reproductive capacity (Schmidt, 1988; washed and rinsed in normal saline, diced into smallSmyth and Mc Manus 1989). Avetellina lahorea pieces and then fixed with glutaraldehyde in Millong'sbelongs to Anoplocephalid family and infects the sheep phosphate buffer (pH 7.3, 380 mOsm/l) <strong>for</strong> 1 h at 4°C.Ovis aries. To date, apparently, the ultrastructural After fixation <strong>for</strong> 34 h at room temperature, the tissuestudies on spermatozoon have been done on following was rinsed in Millong's buffer, post-fixed in 1%parasites: Aporina delafondi, Avitellina centripunctata osmium tetraoxide in Millong's buffer <strong>for</strong> 1.5 h, rinsedand Inermicapsifer guineensis (Ba and Marchand quickly in distilled water, dehydrated in an ethanol1992a, 1994c and d), Monoecocestus americanus (Mac series, infiltrated with propylene oxide, embedded inKinnon and Burt, 1984), Oochoristica agamae Spurr's low-viscosity epoxy resin and then polymerized(Swiderski and Subilia, 1985), Paranoplocephala at 60°C. <strong>The</strong> sections (70–90 nm) were cut with aomphalodes (Miquel and Marchand, 1998), Stilesia diamond knife, mounted on uncoated copper grids,globipunctata (Ba and Marchand, 1992b). <strong>The</strong> aim of stained with uranyl acetate/ethanol and aqueous leadthe present study was to delineate the ultrastructure of citrate and finally examined under a Philips 204mature spermatozoon of Avitellina lahorea.transmission electron microscope (TEM) at anaccelerating voltage of 40 or 60 kV (Conn, 1993).Corresponding author: Dr. V. Vijayalakshmi, PG and ResearchDepartment of Zoology, Government Arts College, Nandanam,Chennai-600 035, India. E-mail: srmadhan@hotmail.comRESULTS AND DISCUSSIONIn the present study, the different developmental stagesof spermiogenesis and spermatozoa could be seen inTEM micrographs (Fig. 1a, b, c and d). <strong>The</strong> sperms
Change language