Plasmodium brodeni
Encyclopedia
Plasmodium brodeni is a parasite of the genus Plasmodium
subgenus Vinckeia
.
Like all Plasmodium species P. brodeni has both vertebrate
and insect
hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are mammal
s.
, Congo
. As part of this expedition they examined blood of all the vertebrates they caught. In a sample of twelve elephant shrew
s (Petrodomus tetradactylus) captured between Bukama
and Sankisia this parasite was discovered. They named the species after Broden.
This parasite was rediscovered several years later by a United States
Naval Medical Research Unit in elephant shrews caught in the Sudan
. Over one hundred animals were found to be infected. The press
reported the import by air of 'malaria infected elephants' from Africa
.
(Petrodomus and Elephantulus
species).
Plasmodium
Plasmodium is a genus of parasitic protists. Infection by these organisms is known as malaria. The genus Plasmodium was described in 1885 by Ettore Marchiafava and Angelo Celli. Currently over 200 species of this genus are recognized and new species continue to be described.Of the over 200 known...
subgenus Vinckeia
Vinckeia
Vinckeia is a subgenus of the genus Plasmodium - all of which are parastic protozoa. The subgenus Vinckeia was created by Garnham in 1964 to accommodate the mammalian parasites other than those infecting the primates.- Diagnostic features :...
.
Like all Plasmodium species P. brodeni has both vertebrate
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
and insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s.
Description
The parasite was first described by Rodhain at al. in 1913. Rodhain and his colleagues were on a scientific expedition in the KatangaKatanga Province
Katanga Province is one of the provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Between 1971 and 1997, its official name was Shaba Province. Under the new constitution, the province was to be replaced by four smaller provinces by February 2009; this did not actually take place.Katanga's regional...
, Congo
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo between King Leopold II's formal relinquishment of his personal control over the state to Belgium on 15 November 1908, and Congolese independence on 30 June 1960.-Congo Free State, 1884–1908:Until the latter...
. As part of this expedition they examined blood of all the vertebrates they caught. In a sample of twelve elephant shrew
Elephant shrew
Elephant shrews or jumping shrews are small insectivorous mammals native to Africa, belonging to the family Macroscelididae, in the order Macroscelidea...
s (Petrodomus tetradactylus) captured between Bukama
Bukama
Bukama is a town in Haut-Lomami District of south-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. As of 2009 it had an estimated population of 42,718....
and Sankisia this parasite was discovered. They named the species after Broden.
This parasite was rediscovered several years later by a United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Naval Medical Research Unit in elephant shrews caught in the Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
. Over one hundred animals were found to be infected. The press
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
reported the import by air of 'malaria infected elephants' from Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
Geographical occurrence
This species is found in the Congo, Sudan and probably in other parts of Africa.Clinical features and host pathology
The only known host is the elephant shrewElephant shrew
Elephant shrews or jumping shrews are small insectivorous mammals native to Africa, belonging to the family Macroscelididae, in the order Macroscelidea...
(Petrodomus and Elephantulus
Elephantulus
Elephantulus is a genus of elephant shrew in the Macroscelididae family.It contains the following species:* Short-snouted Elephant Shrew * Cape Elephant Shrew...
species).