1984 Volume 37 Issue 3 Pages 158-162
A new detection method of bovine Sarcocystis cysts (sarcocysts) was devised. In it, a small piece (about 2×5×0.5cm in size) of cardiac muscle was cut out at rightangles to the fibers and examined by a binocular dissecting microscope with illumination from above. Sarcocysts could be observed as minute whitish bodies. The new method was superior to the conventional one in the following points: Fresh sarcocysts could easily be removed from muscle with a dissecting needle. They could be used for morphological examinationin order to identify the species and for experimental infection of final hosts, such as dogs.
The new method was applied to 104 healthy cattle slaughtered. It revealed that the incidence rate of sarcocysts increased with the advance in age, that it was 100% among cattle more than 5 years old, and that the larger the cyst, the larger the number of bradyzoites contained.
