Plasmodium tropiduri 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...

subgenus Lacertaemoba

Lacertaemoba

Lacertaemoba is a subgenus of the genus Plasmodium - all of which are parasitic protozoa. All species in this subgenus infect reptiles.This subgenus was created by Telford to refine the classification of species then given as Plasmodium tropiduri...

.

Like all Plasmodium species P. tropiduri 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 reptile

Reptile

Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...

s.

This species is closely related to Plasmodium floridense

Plasmodium floridense

Plasmodium floridense is a parasite of the genus Plasmodium subgenus Lacertaemoba.Like all Plasmodium species P. floridense has both vertebrate and insect hosts...

and Plasmodium minasense

Plasmodium minasense

Plasmodium minasense is a parasite of the genus Plasmodium subgenus Carinamoeba.Like all Plasmodium species P. minasense has both vertebrate and insect hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are lizards.- Description :...

.

Description

The parasite was first described by Aragão and Neiva in 1909. It had been previous discovered by Carlos Chagas but not formally described. Later it was realised that this species was in fact a species complex. This complex was divided into a number of subspecies by Telford in 1979.

Plasmodium tropiduri aquaticum is found in Anolis lionotus and Anolis poecilopus in Panama and Costa Rica.

Schizonts are they are found mostly in pro-erythrocytes, are smaller than erythrocyte nuclei, have 4 to 14 nuclei and contain pigment.

Gametocyte

Gametocyte

A gametocyte is a eukaryotic germ cell that divides by mitosis into other gametocytes or by meiosis into gametids during gametogenesis. Male gametocytes are called spermatocytes, and female gametocytes are called oocytes....

s occur in erythrocytes, are smaller than erythrocyte nuclei and contain pigment.

Plasmodium tropiduri caribbense was described by Telford, Johnson and Young in 1989.

Plasmodium tropiduri panamense is found in Anolis biporcatus in Panama.

Schizonts occur mostly in pro-erythrocytes, are seldom pigmented and are larger in pro-erythrocytes than in erythrocytes They are smaller than erythrocyte nuclei and contain 4 to 18 nuclei.

Gametocytes are slightly smaller than erythrocyte nuclei, and are more common in erythrocytes.

Plasmodium tropiduri tropiduri is found in Tropidurus

Tropidurus

The reptile genus Tropidurus includes several species of Neotropical ground lizards . It is the type genus of this family of iguanian lizards. They are found on the South American mainland, especially in the Amazon Rainforest but also in more arid regions...

lizards including Tropidurus torquatus in Brazil, the Guianas and Venezuela.

Schizonts are larger than the erythrocyte nuclei and contain 8 to 22 nuclei in a rosette

Rosette (schizont appearance)

The rosette is a formation characteristic of schizonts in infection by the reptile parasites Plasmodium tropiduri and P. holaspi or by the fish parasite Babesiosoma.It is also seen in the case of human parasite Plasmodium malariae....

. Pigment is always present.

Gametocytes are round or oval and are larger than the erythrocyte nuclei.

This species may be able to develop in thrombocytes as well as erythrocytes.

Geographical occurrence

This species complex is found in Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....

, the Guianas

The Guianas

The Guyanas or the Guianas refers to a region in north-eastern South America which includes the following three territories:* French Guiana, an overseas department of France;...

, Panama

Panama

Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...

 and Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

Clinical features and host pathology

This species has been found in Anolis biporcatus, Anolis cybotes, Anolis lionotus, Anolis poecilopus and Tropidurus torquatus.