Plasmodium_pessoai

<i>Plasmodium pessoai</i>

Plasmodium pessoai

Species of single-celled organism

Plasmodium pessoai is a parasite of the genus Plasmodium. As in all Plasmodium species, P. pessoai has both vertebrate and insect hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are reptiles.

Quick Facts Plasmodium pessoai, Scientific classification ...

Taxonomy

The parasite was first described by Ayala et al. in 1978.[1] The species is named after Dr Samuel B Pessoa - a parasitologist at the Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil.

Morphologically this species appears to be related to Plasmodium aurulentum.

Description

The gametocytes are small and sausage shaped (10.4 x 4.6 micrometres)

Immature schizonts often contain a digestive vacuole.

Mature schizonts are spherical or bouquet-shaped and produce 22 - 32 merozoites. They may possess an intensely staining magenta or rose-coloured substance in the matrix of the surrounding vacuole.

Distribution

This species is found in Costa Rica, Central America.

Hosts

Plasmodium pessoai is one of several species known to infect snakes. Other examples are Plasmodium wenyoni and Plasmodium tomodoni. This species infects the rat snake (Spilotes pullatus) and the bush master (Lachesis muta). Plasmodium bitis and infects Viperidae, Plasmodium pythonis infects Python sebae, and Plasmodium melanoleuca infects Elapidae.[2]

References

  1. [1]
    Ayala S.C., Moreno-Robles E., Bolaños-Herrera, R. (1978) Plasmodium pessoai sp. n. procedentes de dos serpientes costarricenses. J. Parasitol. 64(2)330-335
  2. [2]
    Telford, J.,.S.R. (2009). Hemoparasites of the Reptilia: Color Atlas and Text (1st ed.). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781420080414


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