LEUCOCYTOZOON

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 Introduction
A protozoan parasite of avian
erythrocytes transmitted by the
'blackfly' Simulium spp.
Infection causes the disease
leucocytozoonosis.
The parasites were first seen by
Danilewsky in 1884 in blood from an
owl.
There are over 100 species in this genus.
 Scientific
Classification
Kingdom Chromalveolata
Phylum Apicomplexia
Class Aconoidasida
Order Achromatorida
Family Leucocytozoidae
Genus Leucocytozoon

Species Andrewsi, Simondi

 Major
Species
There are over 100 species in this
genus, but the 3 most important species
thatve infected the most common
domestic birds are;
Leucocytozoon caulleryi(chickens)
Leucocytozoon smithi(turkeys)
Leucocytozoon simondi(ducks and
geese)
Geographical Distribution

In Thailand, India, Taiwan, Japan, Burma, Sri

Lanka, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia,
Indonesia, China, and Korea, USA, Canada
and Africa most cases have been reported.

Acute outbreaks of leucocytozoonosis have

been reported in chickens, turkeys,
waterfowl and wild birds worldwide.
 Hosts &
Vectors
Definitive host
Ducks
Turkey
Geese
Swans
Similar waterfowl and Chickens
Vector
Black Fly(Simulium spp)
 Leucocytozoon use Black flies (Simulium
species) as their intermediate host and
Birds as their definitive host.
Over 100 species of birds have been recorded
as hosts to these parasites.
Leucocytozoon does not threaten human
populations in terms of potential infection,
infected poultry is not pathogenic in humans.
Still, the parasite's economic impact could hurt
poultry farmers' revenue as mortality rates are
extremely high, especially among young birds
 Transmission in
Host
Leucocytozoon's involves an
intermediate host (the blackfly) which
carries the parasite from one avian host
to another.
When the blackfly vector bites a bird,
perhaps around the unfeathered eye
area, sporozoites are released in the
vector's saliva and into the bird's
circulatory system.
 Life Cycle
It completes its life cycle in Two
different hosts i;e Intermediate
host(black fly) and Definitive host(birds)
In Black fly, it enters in its body when
the fly feeds on the bird already been
infected by the parasite.
After penetrating in the fly its
gametophytes get mature and
reproduce in Midgut.
 In the insect vector these elongated
gametocytes become either a female
(macro)gametocyte with a red-staining
nucleus
Male (micro)gametocyte with a pale-staining
diffuse nucleus, which come together to form
an ookinete.
This ookinete invades an intestinal cell of the
fly vector, where it matures into an oocyst.
This oocyst produces sporozoites which
migrate to the salivary glands of the blackfly,
thus reinitiating the cycle.
 In Birds, sporozoites invade the liver cells and
develop into small schizonts, which in turn
produce merozoites.
Schizonts release merozoites or secondary
schizonts in the endothelial cells of the blood
vessels and in essentially any of the viscera.
The merozoites either enter red blood cells or
macrophages.
In the red blood cells, merozoites develop into
round gametocytes.
In the macrophage, merozoites develop into
megaloschizonts, which then divide into primary
cytomeres.
Pathogenesis
Five days post infection:
Many schizonts develop in hepatocytes
Cells rupture
Seven days post infection:
Megaloschizonts begin to appear in spleen
Also appear in Lymph and other tissues
Gametocytes accumulate in liver
12+ days post infection
Hemorrhagic scars from rupturing
megaloschizonts
 Area of Infection
Leucocytozoons infect the

Heart
Liver
Lungs
Spleen
Brain
 Diagnosis
A diagnosis can be made by
The demonstration of gametocytes in blood
smears.
Histopathological examination of the liver, spleen
and brain can show developing megaloschizonts.
Necropsy may reveal an enlarged spleen and liver.
Since the majority of birds are sub clinically infected
with Leucocytozoon, other causes of death must be
ruled out even with the presence of Leucocytozoon
gametocytes in peripheral blood smears.
Clinical signs/symptoms
The majority of birds affected with
leucocytozoonosis exhibit no clinical
signs.
Visibly affected show mild to severe
signs of anorexia, luekocytosis,
weakness, anemia, emaciation, and
have difficult breathing.
Young birds manifest in appetence,
weakness, dyspnea, and sometimes
death within 24hrs.
 Signs in adults appear less abruptly and
consist of listlessness and a low
mortality rate.
The mortality in adult birds occurs as a
result of debilitation and increased
susceptibility to secondary infection.
Granulomatous and lymphocytic lesions are
seen in the lungs, heart, brain and
peripheral nerves. Large gametocytes can
block capillaries of the lungs.
Spleen Lungs

Leucocytozoon in
leucocytes
 Treatment and
Control
Treatment usually is not effective,
control of the Leucocytozoon in
domestic avian species has, until
recently, been limited to control of the
blackfly vector.
Preventive medication using
Pyrimethamine(1 ppm) and
Sulfadimethoxine(10 ppm) combined in
the feed controls it.
 Clopidol (0.0125%0.025%)
controls invertebrate vectors are helpful.
Quinacrine hydrochloride or
Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole solution
have been used i;e parasitemia is
reduced, but the infection is not cleared.
Oral Anti-LEUCOCYTOZOONOSIS
Vaccines based on TRANSGENIC plants.
Hepatozoon
Introduction
Hepatozoon is a protozoan parasite of
peripheral blood neutrophils.
Its genus Apicomplexan protozoa which
incorporates over 300 species obligate intra
erythrocytic parasites.
Infection caused by hepatozoon is called
Hepatozoonosis.
A Hepatozoon parasite was initially
reported from a cat in India in 1908.
 Scientific
Classification
Kingdom Chromalveolata

Phylum Apicomplexia
Class Conoidasida
Order Eucoccidiorida
Family Hepatozoidae
Genus Hepatozoon
Species Hepatozoon canis.
 Geographical Distribution
Its widely distributed in the world
mainly found in;
Africa
Southwestern Asia
Southwestern
Eastern Europe
North and South America.
Brazil
United States
 Hosts and
Vectors
Dogs
Cats
Rabbits
Rats
Snakes
And other domestic animals
Vectors
Ticks
 Major
Species
Hepatozoon has more than 300 species but
the most imp. Of them which cause infection
is;
Hepatozoon canis.(dogs, jackals and all
canines)
Hepatozoon atticorae(birds)
And very recently discovered
Hepatozoon sipedon.(infect Snakes and
mosquitoes)
 Transmission in Host
Transmission of the infection occurs via
ingestion of infected ticks.
Dogs are infected by ingesting infected ticks
during grooming behavior or eating prey that
has attached ticks.
Its not transmitted by Tick biting.
In Snakes, it is transmitted through infected
mosquitoes that are ingested by some
frogs that later on, eaten by the snake
transmitting it.
Mosquitoes get infected by feeding on
infected snakes.
 Life Cycle
Members of the genus Hepatozoon possess
particularly complex life cycles which vary
considerably among species.
Sexual reproduction and sporogenic
development occur in haemocoel of the
invertebrate host.
It also has two hosts;
Intermediate(ticks)&Definitive(Dogs/snakes)
 Vertebrate host, consumes the infected
invertebrate.
The sporozoites then migrate to the liver of
the vertebrate, where they undergo multiple
fission (asexual reproduction) to produce
merozoites.
Merozoites are released into the bloodstream
where they form gametocytes.
Gamonts are large, conspicuous organisms
which occupy significant portion of
the erythrocyte, and are easily visible on
simple blood films.
 The invertebrate vector feeds on the blood
of the infected vertebrate
The gamonts are taken up into the gut once
more, where they undergo gametogenesis
and the cycle begins once more.
In case of snakes, they do not typically
feed on mosquitoes, a third, intermediate
host is required, in this case a frog.
The frog ingests the infected mosquito, and
the snake acquires the infection by feeding
on the now infected frog.
Another mosquito can then feed on the
snake, thus continuing the life cycle.
 Diagnosis
Is based on,
Blood tests
Clinical signs
Biopsy of skeletal muscles
Serological tests
Molecular diagnosis
 Clinical Signs & Symptoms
Periodic or persistent fever
Weakness muscle atrophy
Generalized pain
Stiff gait and hind limb paralysis.
Pus-filled eye discharge.
 Treatment &
Control
The current therapy for hepatozoonosis
includes;
Trimethoprim
Sulfadiazine
Clindamycin
Pyrimethamine (TCP) drugs for two
weeks to destroy the parasites.

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