''Sivatoshella'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
parasitic
Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The ent ...
alveolates in the
phylum
In biology, a phylum (; : phyla) is a level of classification, or taxonomic rank, that is below Kingdom (biology), kingdom and above Class (biology), class. Traditionally, in botany the term division (taxonomy), division has been used instead ...
Apicomplexa
The Apicomplexa (also called Apicomplexia; single: apicomplexan) are organisms of a large phylum of mainly parasitic alveolates. Most possess a unique form of organelle structure that comprises a type of non-photosynthetic plastid called an ap ...
.
History
This species and genus was described in 1968 by Ray and Sarak.
[Ray, Sarak (1968) A new coccidium ''Sivatoshella lonchurae'' ''n. gen''., ''n. sp''., from ''Lonchura malabarica'' and ''L. punctulata''. J Euk Microbiol 15(4) 640–643]
Taxonomy
There is currently only one species recognised in this genus - ''Sivatoshella lonchurae''.
Life cycle
Little is known about this species and genus. Transmission is presumably by the orofaecal route.
This species is found in the
duodenum
The duodenum is the first section of the small intestine in most vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles, and birds. In mammals, it may be the principal site for iron absorption.
The duodenum precedes the jejunum and ileum and is the shortest p ...
and
small intestine
The small intestine or small bowel is an organ (anatomy), organ in the human gastrointestinal tract, gastrointestinal tract where most of the #Absorption, absorption of nutrients from food takes place. It lies between the stomach and large intes ...
of both the Indian silverbill (''
Lonchura malabarica'') and the scaly breasted munia (''
Lonchura punctulata
The scaly-breasted munia or spotted munia (''Lonchura punctulata''), known in the pet trade as nutmeg mannikin or spice finch, is a sparrow-sized estrildid finch native to tropical Asia. A species of the genus ''Lonchura'', it was formally des ...
'').
The sporulation time has been estimated to be 24–48 hours at 31 degrees Celsius.
To date it has only been described in
Calcutta
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...
,
West Bengal
West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
in
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
.
Description
The
oocyst
Apicomplexans, a group of intracellular parasites, have life cycle stages that allow them to survive the wide variety of environments they are exposed to during their complex life cycle. Each stage in the life cycle of an apicomplexan organism ...
s are spherical with diameter of 36–38
μm
The micrometre (Commonwealth English as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American English), also commonly known by the non-SI term micron, is a unit of length in the International System ...
(mean 37.5). The wall is thick and 4 layered. The outermost layer is thin, transparent and colourless. The next layer inwards is slightly broader and light green in colour. Moving inwards again the 3rd layer is thinner and light yellow in colour. The innermost layer is a dark black colour. Neither a