T. Yanai et al., HISTOPATHOLOGIC FEATURES OF NATURALLY-OCCURRING HEPATOZOONOSIS IN WILD MARTENS (MARTES MELAMPUS) IN JAPAN, Journal of wildlife diseases, 31(2), 1995, pp. 233-237
Nodular lesions containing Hepatozoon sp. schizonts or merozoite-gamet
ocytes were found in the tissues of 67 (96%) of 70 wild-caught martens
(Martes melampus) examined in Gifu, Japan, 1991 and 1992. The heart w
as the most commonly parasitized organ (96%), followed by the perirena
l adipose tissue (36%); the diaphragm, mesentery, tongue, omentum and
perisplenic adipose tissue generally had a prevalence of 10 to 15%. In
the heart, two types of nodular lesions were differentiated based on
developmental stages: nodules containing schizonts and nodules consist
ing of an accumulation of phagocytes containing merozoites or gamonts.
Under electron microscopy, mature schizonts contained membrane-bound
merozoites with a single nucleus and small scattered electron-dense cy
toplasmic granules in the schizont nodules; the merozoites and gamonts
were engulfed in a phagosome-like vacuole of phagocytes with the nucl
eus compressed to one side due to the parasite in the merozoite-gamont
nodule.