Plasmodium polymorphum

Plasmodium polymorphum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Protista
Phylum:	Apicomplexa
Class:	Aconoidasida
Order:	Haemosporida
Family:	Plasmodiidae
Genus:	Plasmodium
Species:	P. polymorphum
Binomial name
	Plasmodium polymorphum;

Plasmodium polymorphum is a parasite of the genus Plasmodium.

Like all Plasmodium species P. polymorphum has both vertebrate and insect hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are birds.

Description

This species was described by Zehtindjiev et al.^[1]

This species shows a marked preference of its blood stages for immature erythrocytes, including erythroblasts. Uniquely for an avian malaria species development and maturation of the gametocytes occur in immature red blood cells. Also uniquely the margins of nuclei in blood stages of are markedly smooth and distinct.

It appears morphologically to be related to the Huffia subgenus but this has yet to be established.

Geographical occurrence

This species was isolated in southern Italy. Because the host carries out an annual migration the parasite may also occur elsewhere.

Vectors

Not known.

Clinical features and host pathology

P. accipiteris infects the skylark (Alauda arvensis).

References

^ Zehtindjiev P, Križanauskienė A, Bensch S, Palinauskas V, Asghar M, Dimitrov D, Scebba S, Valkiunas G (2012) A new morphologically distinct avian malaria parasite that fails detection by established PCR-based protocols for amplification of the cytochrome B gene. J Parasitol

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[Zehtindjiev2012-1] Zehtindjiev P, Križanauskienė A, Bensch S, Palinauskas V, Asghar M, Dimitrov D, Scebba S, Valkiunas G (2012) A new morphologically distinct avian malaria parasite that fails detection by established PCR-based protocols for amplification of the cytochrome B gene. J Parasitol

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