Fine structural study of Eimeria truncata from the domestic goose (Anser anser dom.).

Eimeria truncata oocysts were isolated from a naturally infected goose stock. Domestic geese and ducks were inoculated with sporulated oocysts. Meronts, merozoites, macro- and microgamonts, and microgametes were studied with the light and electron microscope. These stages were located in the epithelial cells of the kidney tubules only. The meronts and merozoites showed the characteristic fine structures of Eimeria species. The macrogamonts only possessed one type of wall-forming bodies. It resembled the wall-forming bodies type I of other Eimeria species. One of the most prominent observations seemed to be the occurrence of osmiophilic granular material in the parasitophorous vacuoles of all endogenous stages of E. truncata.