Prevalence, transmission, and pathogenicity of Sarcocystis gigantea of sheep.

Between March and May 1983, tongues and esophagi of 355 adult ewes from Colorado and Idaho were examined for grossly visible sarcocysts. Sarcocysts of Sarcocystis gigantea were found in 35 sheep. Cats fed sarcocysts from these naturally infected sheep shed sporocysts in their feces. Two adult ewes and 12 lambs inoculated with 1,000 to 1,000,000 sporocysts were euthanatized at postinoculation days (PID) 146, 230, 265, 391, 721, and 882, and their tissues were fed to Sarcocystis-free cats. All inoculated sheep remained clinically normal except for mild pyrexia between PID 12 and 18. Sarcocysts first became grossly visible at PID 391 and sarcocysts from sheep first became infectious for cats at PID 230.