Jump to content

Plasmodium giganteum

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Plasmodium giganteum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Clade: Diaphoretickes
Clade: SAR
Clade: Alveolata
Phylum: Apicomplexa
Class: Aconoidasida
Order: Haemospororida
Family: Plasmodiidae
Genus: Plasmodium
Species:
P. giganteum
Binomial name
Plasmodium giganteum
Theiler, 1930

Plasmodium giganteum is a parasite of the genus Plasmodium subgenus Sauramoeba. As in all Plasmodium species, P. giganteum has both vertebrate and insect hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are reptiles.

Taxonomy

[edit]

The parasite was first described by Theiler in 1930.

Description

[edit]

P. giganteum blood-stage parasites are described as being 2 to 6 times as large as the host cell nucleus. The gametocytes are round and elongated.[1]

Distribution

[edit]

P. giganteum has only been described in Gbanga, Liberia.[1]

Hosts

[edit]

P. giganteum infects the rainbow lizard (Agama agama), as well as Agama mossambica and Agama cyanogaster.[1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Telford SR (2009). Hemoparasites of the Reptilia: Color Atlas and Text. CRC Press. p. 14. ISBN 9781420080407.

Further reading

[edit]

Schall, JJ; Bromwich, CR (April 1994). "Interspecific interactions tested: two species of malarial parasite in a West African lizard". Oecologia. 97 (3): 326–332. Bibcode:1994Oecol..97..326S. doi:10.1007/BF00317322. PMID 28313627. S2CID 9890242.