Ultrastructural observations on amastigote forms of Leishmania donovani in a case of laryngeal leishmaniasis
Garcovich, A.; Ormea, F.; Fabrizi, G.
Minerva Medica 66(58): 2883-2898
1975
ISSN/ISBN: 0026-4806 PMID: 1161176 Document Number: 92355
An ultrastructural study on the amastigote stage of Leishmania donovani, in a rare case of laringeal involvement, was carried out. Many details of the fine morphology of this protozoon were observed under the electron microscope, i.e.: the outer membrane of host origin, periplast, subpellicular microtubules, kinetoplast, flagellum, flagellar pocket, multivesicular bodies. A presence of a new organelle (4 microtubules structure close to and running parallel to the flagellar pocket), previously not described in Leishmania donovani's species, was demonstrated in this indigenous strain (from Central Italy). The Authors found a limited number of subpellicular microtubules in this strain, i.e.: 72 microtubules. Differences in size and number of microtubules between strains must be investigated in more rigorous morphometric studies. It's possible that the number of the subpellicular microtubules represents a new taxonomic character.