Cyrilia
Encyclopedia
Cyrilia is a genus of parasitic protoza in the phylum
Apicomplexia. The genus was created by Lainson in 1981. Species in this genus infect fresh water fish
and are transmitted by leech
es.
The parasite undergoes merogony
and gametogony in the fish erythrocytes.
The mature gametocytes are ingested by a leech and undergo fusion, sygyny, sporogony and merogony in the leech.
Each zygote
undergoes multiple divisions producing 16–32 sporozoites which are infective for vertebrate host.
Sporogony occurs in the intestinal wall of the leech.
Each of the microgametocyes produce four microgametes each capable of fertilizing a macrogamete.
Phylum
In biology, a phylum The term was coined by Georges Cuvier from Greek φῦλον phylon, "race, stock," related to φυλή phyle, "tribe, clan." is a taxonomic rank below kingdom and above class. "Phylum" is equivalent to the botanical term division....
Apicomplexia. The genus was created by Lainson in 1981. Species in this genus infect fresh water fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
and are transmitted by leech
Leech
Leeches are segmented worms that belong to the phylum Annelida and comprise the subclass Hirudinea. Like other oligochaetes such as earthworms, leeches share a clitellum and are hermaphrodites. Nevertheless, they differ from other oligochaetes in significant ways...
es.
Life cycle
The parasites are transmitted to the vertebrate host by the bite of a leech.The parasite undergoes merogony
Merogony
Merogony is a biological term with two distinct meanings:* Protozoal merogony is an asexual replication process used by some protozoan parasites that increases the number of infective cells by multiple cell divisions....
and gametogony in the fish erythrocytes.
The mature gametocytes are ingested by a leech and undergo fusion, sygyny, sporogony and merogony in the leech.
Each zygote
Zygote
A zygote , or zygocyte, is the initial cell formed when two gamete cells are joined by means of sexual reproduction. In multicellular organisms, it is the earliest developmental stage of the embryo...
undergoes multiple divisions producing 16–32 sporozoites which are infective for vertebrate host.
Sporogony occurs in the intestinal wall of the leech.
Each of the microgametocyes produce four microgametes each capable of fertilizing a macrogamete.
Host relations
- C. nili - African catfish (Clarias lazera), Nile tilapia (Tilapia nilotica)
Vectors
- C. nili - African fish leech (Batracobdelloides tricarinata Blanchard 1897)