Clinical sarcocystosis in calves fed Sarcocystis hirsuta sporocysts from cats.

Lesions of sarcocystosis were studied in 14 calves necropsied between seven and 110 days after inoculation with 5000 to 25 million sporocysts of Sarcocystis hirsuta from cats. Calves developed fever, anemia, and diarrhea between 11 and 30 days after inoculation. The development of first generation meronts in arteries of small intestine, mesentery, and mesenteric lymph nodes seven to 25 days after inoculation was associated with vascular occlusion and necrosis of associated tissues. The development of second generation meronts in capillaries of striated muscles 15 to 23 days after inoculation was associated with necrosis, edema, and nonsuppurative myositis in heart and other muscles. Sixty-two days after inoculation lesions were reduced to focal areas of granulomatous inflammation around degenerating sarcocysts in striated muscles, but not in the heart.