| Summary: | Sarcocystosis is a zoonotic disease in sheep caused by an intracellular parasite belongs to the phylum
Apicomplexa, order Eucoccidioria, and Sarcocystidae family. In the parasite life cycle, there is a need for an
intermediate host and a definite host. Some species of Sarcocystis can cause disease and consequently cause
weight loss, anorexia, fever, anemia, muscle weakness, decreased milk production, abortion, and sometimes
death in intermediate hosts such as cattle, goats, and sheep. Cysts of Sarcocystis spp. are found nearly always
in skeletal, striated muscles, particularly in the diaphragm, heart, liver, lungs, and esophageal. A six-years-old
native ewe was referred to the veterinary clinic in Najafabad, Isfahan province, Iran with major clinical signs
of nasal discharge, enlarged superficial lymph nodes, anorexia, and a round tumor-like mass on the back. After
tissue processing and hematoxylin and eosin staining, different sizes of Sarcocystis spp. (with 3.03 ± 0.44 µm
in length) each surrounded by a thin layer of muscle fibers and contained banana-shape bradyzoites were seen
in the subcutaneous muscle fibers. Hemorrhage and infiltration of inflammatory cells, mainly, neutrophils were
also seen in the dermis.
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