Plasmodium floridense
| Plasmodium floridense | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Diaphoretickes |
| Clade: | SAR |
| Clade: | Alveolata |
| Phylum: | Apicomplexa |
| Class: | Aconoidasida |
| Order: | Haemospororida |
| Family: | Plasmodiidae |
| Genus: | Plasmodium |
| Species: | P. floridense
|
| Binomial name | |
| Plasmodium floridense Thompson and Huff, 1944
| |
Plasmodium floridense is a parasite of the genus Plasmodium subgenus Lacertaemoba. As in all Plasmodium species, P. floridense has both vertebrate and insect hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are lizards.
Description[edit]
This species was described by Thompson and Huff in 1944.
Schizonts are 1.5 -2.0 times the size of the nucleus of an uninfected erythrocyte. They produce 8-24 merozoites.
The gametocytes are of a similar size.
Distribution[edit]
This organism is found in an area stretching continuously from the southern United States to Panama. It is also found in the Caribbean.
Hosts[edit]
It infects lizards of the genera Anolis (Anolis carolinensis,[1] Anolis gundlachi[2] Anolis sabanus,[3] Anolis sagrei[4]) and Sceloporus undulatus.[1]
The prevalence of infection in Anolis sagrei in Florida is high (46%) but the median parasitaemia in infected hosts is low (0.3%).[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Perkins S.L., Kerwin A.S., Rothschild A.D. (2008) Patterns of infection of the lizard malaria parasite, Plasmodium floridense, in invasive brown anoles (Anolis sagrei) in Southwestern Florida. Parasitol Res.
- ^ Schall J.J., Pearson A.R., Perkins S.L. (2000) Prevalence of malaria parasites (Plasmodium floridense and Plasmodium azurophilum) infecting a Puerto Rican lizard (Anolis gundlachi): a nine-year study. J. Parasitol. 86(3):511-515
- ^ Staats C.M., Schall J.J. (1996) Distribution and abundance of two malarial parasites of the endemic Anolis lizard of Saba Island, Netherlands Antilles. J. Parasitol. 82(3):409-413
- ^ Perkins S.L., Rothschild A. Waltari E. (2007) Infections of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium floridense, in the invasive anole, Anolis sagrei, in Florida J. Herpetol. 41:750-754.