Choleoeimeria is a genus of alveolate parasites that infect the biliary tracts of reptiles. Morphologically they are similar to the Eimeria, to whom they are closely related. The genus was described in 1989 by Paperna and Landsberg.
General features
The endogenous development of the parasite occurs in the cells of the bile epithelium.
The infected host cell becomes hypertrophic and emerges above the epithelial surface. This hypertrophy coincides with a drastic depletion of the microvilli. The junction zone along with the underlying cell extends into numerous long and fine membranal out-folds.
Microgamont: The differentiating microgamont develops an expanded multilobed body.
Macrogamont: The organelles include type 1 and type 2 wall forming bodies, canaliculi and granular bodies.
Oocyte: The oocyst wall forms from 4 wall-membranes consolidating over the zygote plasmalemma. The oocysts possess four sporocysts each containing two sporozoites.
^Lainson R (2003) Some coccidial parasites of the lizard Amphisbaena alba (Reptilia: Amphisbaenia: Amphisbaenidae) Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 98(7)927-936
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Lainson R, Paperna I (1999) Some coccidia from the gall-bladder and intestine of the teiid lizard Ameiva ameiva ameiva and the gecko Hemidactylus mabouia in north Brazil. Parasite 6(2):151-162
^Sloboda M, Modrý D (2006) New species of Choleoeimeria (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from the veiled chameleon, Chamaeleo calyptratus (Sauria: Chamaeleonidae), with taxonomic revision of eimerian coccidia from chameleons. Folia Parasitol (Praha) 53(2):91-97
^Paperna I, Lainson R (2000) Ultrastructural study of meronts and gamonts of Choleoeimeria rochalimai (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) developing in the gall bladder of the gecko Hemidactylus mabouia from Brazil. Folia Parasitol (Praha) 47(2):91-96
^Modrý D, Jirků M (2006) Three new species of coccidia (Apicomplexa: Eimeriorina) from the Marble-throated skink, Marmorosphax tricolor Bavay, 1869 (Reptilia: Scincidae), endemic to New Caledonia with a taxonomic revision of Eimeria spp. from scincid hosts. Parasitol. Res. 99(4):419-428
