Transovarially-transmitted intracellular microorganisms in adult and larval stages of Brugia malayi.

Observation of intracellular organisms in the lateral chords of Brugia malayi adults initiated further studies to determine the prevalence of these organisms within the tissues of adult worms and of larvae. The organisms were found in the lateral chords of adult males and females, microfilariae, first-, second-, third-, and fourth-stage larvae. In the females, they were present in the oogonia, oocytes, and developing eggs, suggesting transovarial transmission within the life cycle of the filarid. The organisms may have a developmental cycle consisting of more than one stage, including a small spheroidal stage up to 0.6 micrometer in size and a larger form up to 1.5 micrometer in length, all of which occur in the cytoplasm within a vesicle formed of host membrane. Each stage lacks a definite cell wall, being bound by 2 trilaminate membranes. The bacterial entities in B. malayi resemble both in morphology and development the organisms found in other filarids, but whether they affect the vertebrate host in any way remains to be determined. Their presence within certain cells of the developing eggs could be exploited as intracellular markers for the organogenesis of the lateral chords and the ovary.