Ultrastructural changes following treatment with a microwave pulse in the oocyst of Eimeria magna Perard, 1925.

The ultrastructure of oocysts of Eimeria magna was studied before and after their exposure to unique pulse of microwaves (2.450 MHZ; 600 W) of different durations (10, 15 and 20 s). Following treatment, the progressive destruction of the three layers of the oocyst wall was observed, the innermost being destroyed first. Internal structures were also affected, resulting in swollen mitochondria, a loss of ribosomes and fragmentation of the rough endoplasmic reticulum; moreover, the wall-forming bodies were no longer identifiable. Further studies using microwave pulses on biological material should be carried out to improve our understanding of the consequences of such treatment and to investigate its utility in the control of transmissible pathogenic organisms.