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The wood thrush, Hylocichla mustelina, is a North American passerine bird closely related to other thrushes and is widely distributed across North America. Nothing is known of the coccidian parasites of this bird. Feces from a single H. mustelina found dead in McCurtain County, Oklahoma were collected and examined for coccidia; it was found to be passing a new species of Isospora. Oocysts of Isospora gmelini n. sp. are subspheroidal to ellipsoidal with a smooth bilayered wall, measure (length [L] × width [W]) 19.5 × 16.5 µm, and have a L/W ratio of 1.2; a micropyle and oocyst residuum were absent but polar granule(s) are present. Sporocysts are ellipsoidal to elongate and measure 13.4 × 8.9 µm, L/W 1.5; a buttonlike Stieda body is present, but sub-Stieda and para-Stieda bodies are absent. The sporocyst residuum is composed of a compact spheroid with a dense, irregular mass of finer granules lying between and dispersed among the sporozoites. Although several isosporans have been reported from other turdid birds, mainly from Brazil and Costa Rica, this is the initial coccidian reported from H. mustelina and only the second known from the Turdidae in the mainland of the United States.

The summer tanager, Piranga rubra (L., 1758) is a medium-sized songbird formerly belonging to the tanager family Thraupidae but now has been placed within the family Cardinalidae. Nothing is known about the coccidian parasites of this stunningly colorful bird. Feces from 2 P. rubra found dead in McCurtain County, Oklahoma were collected and examined for coccidia; 1 was found to be passing a new species of Isospora. Oocysts of Isospora mccurtainensis n. sp. are subspheroidal to ovoidal with a smooth bilayered wall, measure (length 3 width [L 3 W]) 21.7 3 19.5 µm, and have a L/W ratio of 1.1; a micropyle and oocyst residuum were absent but a bilobed and refractile polar granule is present. Sporocysts are ellipsoidal and measure 13.9 3 8.6 µm, L/W 1.6; a knoblike Stieda body is present as well as a distinct sub-Stieda body. The sporocyst residuum is composed of a granular compact cluster with a dense, irregular mass of granules lying between and dispersed among the sporozoites. This is the first coccidian reported from P. rubra and, most important, only the first known from the Cardinalidae in the mainland of the United States.

Wild birds are common hosts to numerous intracellular parasites such as single-celled eukaryotes of the family Eimeriidae (order Eucoccidiorida, phylum Apicomplexa). We investigated the infection rates, phylogeny, and pathogenicity of Isospora and Lankesterella parasites in wild and captive passerine birds. Blood and tissue samples of 815 wild and 15 deceased captive birds from Europe were tested using polymerase chain reaction and partial sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome b and cytochrome c oxidase I and the nuclear 18S rRNA gene. The infection rate for Lankesterella in wild birds was 10.7% compared to 5.8% for Isospora. Chromogenic in situ hybridization with probes targeting the parasites’ 18S rRNA was employed to identify the parasites’ presence in multiple organs, and hematoxylin–eosin staining was performed to visualize the parasite stages and assess associated lesions. Isospora parasites were mainly identified in the intestine, spleen, and liver. Extraintestinal tissue stages of Isospora were accompanied by predominantly lymphohistiocytic inflammation of varying severity. Lankesterella was most frequently detected in the spleen, lung, and brain; however, infected birds presented only a low parasite burden without associated pathological changes. These findings contribute to our understanding of Isospora and Lankesterella parasites in wild birds.

Although parasites represent a major component of biodiversity, they remain poorly assessed, especially in remote regions. In this study, we screened 461 reptiles from Socotra, the largest and most biologically diverse archipelago in Arabia. Using 18S rRNA primers, we detected various apicomplexan parasites, namely haemogregarines, sarcocystids and eimeriids. Haemogregarines were the most common and genetically diverse, followed by sarcocystids (genus Sarcocystis) and eimeriids (genera Isospora and Lankesterella). All were related to parasites of other reptiles, including species from Arabia, Northern Africa and Asia. Like their 29 endemic reptile hosts, almost all Socotran parasites presented high genetic divergence and ecological differences from those found elsewhere, and probably represent undescribed endemic species. Among hosts, skinks were the most parasitized, which contrasted with similar studies from other areas, probably due to their more generalist diet and habitat use. As expected due to its high species richness, geckos harboured the highest parasite diversity in the archipelago. Parasite diversity also seemed to be correlated to island size, as the largest island harboured most haplotypes. This study emphasizes the importance of screening parasites in wild hosts from remote regions and of considering host ecology to understand disease transmission across taxa.

Background Cystoisospora felis or Isospora felis is a ubiquitous apicomplexan protozoon parasite infecting domestic cats worldwide. Objectives of the study this study aims to identify the causative agent of diarrhea in cats by determining several elevating stressors caused by these coccidian protozoans with molecular characterization. So, from January 2023 to April 2023, a total of 370 domestic cats were hospitalized at various clinics in the Cairo and Giza Governorates. Fecal samples were taken from these animals and examined by concentration floatation techniques using a saturated salt solution. The positive samples were sporulated to identify the collected oocyst. Venous blood was taken from the infected cats to evaluate the associated oxidative stress marker (lipid peroxidation products (MDA). Results Out of 370 examined domestic cats, 27(7.29%) were positive for C. felis. The MDA levels increased with age, and females were higher than males. DNA was extracted from fecal samples for amplification of the ITS1 gene, followed by sequencing. The ITS1 gene was amplified and showed bands at 224 bp. The partial nucleotide sequence of the ITS1 gene was aligned with the reference sequences. In a conclusion C. felis increases the free radicals, which in turn means the animals have stress and need a schedule to treat these animals with new, safe protocol drugs that give no resistance and are highly efficient.

Isospora sporophilae Carvalho-Filho, Meireles, Ribeiro & Lopes, 2005 was morphologically and molecularly identified from the double-collared seedeater Sporophila frontalis (Verreaux), which is categorised as ‘vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), and from the uniform finch Haplospiza unicolor Cabanis in conserved and anthropomorphic/fragmented areas of Atlantic Forest in the southeastern Brazil. The oöcysts recovered from S. frontalis and H. unicolor had small morphological and genotypic differences that were not considered sufficient for the description of new species, but only different genotypes of I. sporophilae related to each host. This coccidian species was originally described from double-collared seedeaters Sporophila caerulescens (Vieillot) in a center screening of wild animals; therefore, this new report emphasises a potential occurrence of anthropomorphic dispersion of coccidia through illegal trade, seizures and reintroductions in the wild.

A new coccidian species (Protozoa: Apicomplexa: Isospora) is described parasitizing white-necked thrushes Turdus albicollis Vieillot, 1818; rufous-bellied thrushes Turdus rufiventris Vieillot, 1818; pale-breasted thrushes Turdus leucomelas Vieillot, 1818; and yellow-legged thrushes Turdus flavipes Vieillot, 1818 from 3 different localities in Brazil. Isospora sabiai n. sp. has oocysts that are subspherical to ellipsoidal, 20.9 × 18.6 μm, with smooth, delicate, bilayered wall, ∼1.1 μm thick. Micropyle inconspicuous or imperceptible. Oocyst residuum absent, but small polar granules rounded or comma-shaped are present. Sporocysts are elongate ellipsoidal to reniform, 16.5 × 9.2 μm. The Stieda body is knob-like. Sub-Stieda body rounded to conical, sometimes homogeneous with the Stieda body. Sporocyst residuum is present, usually as a cluster of numerous granules. Sporozoites are vermiform with 2 refractile bodies. The oocysts and sporocysts of I. sabiai n. sp. are uniform in the proportionality of width on length, but exhibited different patterns of size associated with each host species; therefore, an ecological discussion is introduced aimed at associating these morphometrical patterns of the oocysts with the habits of the different species of thrushes. This is the seventh isosporoid coccidian reported from New World turdids.

Cystoisospora (Isospora) belli is a coccidian parasite of humans. It can cause serious digestive disorders involving infection of intestines, biliary tract and gallbladder, especially in those with depressed immunity. It has a direct fecal–oral transmission cycle. After ingestion of sporulated oocysts, the parasite multiplies asexually and sexually within host epithelial cells, resulting in unsporulated oocysts that are excreted in feces. The details of asexual and sexual stages are not known and certain inclusions in epithelial cells in biopsy samples have been erroneously identified recently as C. belli. Here, we provide details of developmental stages of C. belli in two patients, in duodenal biopsy of one and biliary epithelium of the other. Immature and mature asexual stages (schizonts/meronts) were seen in epithelial cells. The merozoites were seen singly, in pairs and in groups in single parasitophorous vacuole (pv) in host cytoplasm. Immature and mature meronts were seen together in the same pv; up to eight nuclei were seen in meronts that retained elongated crescent shape; round multinucleated schizonts, seen in other coccidians, were not found. Meronts were up to 25 µm long and contained up to ten merozoites that were 8–11 µm long. The merozoites and meronts contained PAS-positive granules. Microgamonts (male) contained up to 30 nuclei that were arranged at the periphery and had condensed chromatin; 1–3 PAS-positive, eosinophilic, residual bodies were left when microgametes were formed. The microgametes were 4 µm long and PAS-negative. All stages of macrogamonts, including oocysts were PAS-positive. The detailed description of the life cycle stages of C. belli reported here should facilitate in histopathologic diagnosis of this parasite.

Coccidia display a characteristic life cycle, where the parasites switch between asexual and sexual development, resulting in an environmental stage, the oocyst. The entero-pathogenic Cystoisospora suis, a coccidian parasite of swine and close relative to Toxoplasma gondii, undergoes development in one host-cycle. Despite the well-described intracellular development of Coccidia, the C. suis life cycle can progress in an in vitro, host cell-free system after initial intracellular development of merozoites. A novel host cell-free cultivation method was developed by transferring purified merozoites from cell culture supernatant (dpi 6) to culture medium and incubating them for 5 days to induce their progression to sexually differentiated stages. The development of sexual stages in the absence of host cells was verified by morphological studies, flow cytometry and the transcription analysis of three genes linked to sexual stages (HAP2, OWP and TyRP). The host cell-free culture permits the sexual development (and with this, the complete life cycle progression from sporozoites to oocysts) of C. suis in vitro and provides a new tool for detailed research on the development of C. suis and possibly other Coccidia. This will also be useful for the evaluation of novel drug or vaccine targets in these parasites.

Coprological analysis of a sample from one free-living hedgehog was done with the use of a direct flotation method with additional incubation of fecal material. The study revealed three types of eggs and oocysts in the feces. The most commonly diagnosed were oocysts of Isospora rastegaievae (543/3g), while oocysts of Monocystis sp. (267/3g) and eggs of Aonchotheca/Eucoleus spp. (52/3g) were seen less often. This is the first report of coccidia I. rastegaievae (Apicomplexa: Eimeriida) and acephaline gregarine Monocystis sp. (Apicomplexa: Eugregarinida) infection in a hedgehog in Poland.