Transport of Sporozoites of Eimeria necatrix in Macrophages

Abstract

Intestinal content examined 12 hours after feeding the chicken the sporulated oocysts of E. necatrix revealed the sporozoites. These were found invading the epithelium of the villi at 12 and 18 hours, both in the epithelium and in the lamina propria. 78% of the sporozoites in 18-hour preparations were within macrophages after they had arrived in the lamina propria. It appeared that sporozoites had invaded the epithelium of the intestinal glands from the cores of the villi rather than from the direction of the gland lumens, whether free or engulfed by macrophages. There was no evidence that macrophages produce degenerative changes in the sporozoites. Development of sporozoites proceeds only in the cells of the glandular epithelium and not in the lamina propria.