A myxozoan-like parasite causing xenomas in the brain of the mole, Talpa europaea L., 1758 (Vertebrata, Mammalia)

Light and transmission electron microscopy revealed pericytes of brain capi llaries of moles (Talpa europaea L., 1758) as parasitized intracellularly. These host cells were enlarged and of globular or ellipsoid shape, and inco rporated a cell-within-cell sequence of primary, secondary and, rarely foun d, tertiary developmental stages of an eukaryotic organism. Other stages li ke spores were not discovered either in brain or in other organs. Due to th e vertebrate host, and the parasitic cells showing the enveloped state this parasite can be classified as belonging to the Myxozoa rather than Paramyx ea. Since spores, which would allow an exact identification of the parasite , could not be detected and mammals are very unusual hosts for Myxozoa, the parasite was designated a myxozoan-like organism.