Plasmodium forresteri is a parasite of the genus Plasmodium

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...

.

Like all Plasmodium species P. forresteri 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 bird

Bird

Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...

s.

Description

The parasite was first described by Telford et al. in 1979.

The gametocytes are elongate. Their mean dimensions vary between host species and lie between 11.5 - 13.1 (length) x 2.0 - 2.4 (breadth) micrometres. One or both margins are irregular and often crenulate. Gametocytes rarely fill the space between the erythrocyte nucleus and margin.

Schizonts occur in mature or nearly mature erythrocytes. Their mean dimensions vary between host species and range from 3.7 to 4.8 x 2.5 to 3.4 micrometres.

Each schizont produces 2-6 merozoites most commonly arranged in fan or cruciform configuration.

Geographical occurrence

This organism is found in Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 and southern Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

, USA.

Clinical features and host pathology

This organism naturally infects the following species:

Eastern screech-owls (Otus asio)

Great horned owls (Bubo virginianus)

Barred owls (Strix varia)

Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Red-shouldered hawks (Buteo lineatus)

Broad-winged hawks (Buteo platypterus)

Red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis)

Experimental infections have been established in the following species:

Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

Pekin ducks (Anas platyrhynchos)

The only currently known mosquito vector is Culex restuans.