Plasmodium mexicanum
Plasmodium mexicanum is a parasite of the genus Plasmodium subgenus Paraplasmodium.
| Plasmodium mexicanum | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Diaphoretickes |
| Clade: | TSAR |
| Clade: | SAR |
| Clade: | Alveolata |
| Phylum: | Apicomplexa |
| Class: | Aconoidasida |
| Order: | Haemospororida |
| Family: | Plasmodiidae |
| Genus: | Plasmodium |
| Species: | P. mexicanum |
| Binomial name | |
| Plasmodium mexicanum Thompson and Huff, 1944 | |
Like all Plasmodium species P. mexicanum has both vertebrate and insect hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are reptiles.
Taxonomy
The parasite was first described by Thompson and Huff in 1944.[1]
Distribution
This parasite is found in Arizona, United States.
Hosts
This parasite infects the Sceloporus ferraripezi, S. horridus, S. microlepidotus, western fence lizard (S. occidentalis), S. pyrocephalus, S. variabilis, S. torquatus torquatus (subspecies of S. torquatus) and the tree lizard Urosaurus ornatus.[2]
This species is unusual in being able to undergo normal sporogony in psychodid flies – Lutzomyia stewarti and L. vexatrix occidentis, an unrecognized subspecies of L. vexator.[3] Vector competence of L. vexator has also been demonstrated.[3]
References
- Thompson P.E. and Huff C.G. (1944) Saurian malaria parasites of the United States and Mexico. J. Inf. Dis. 74:68–79.
- French S.S., Fokidis H.B., Moore M.C. 2008. Variation in stress and innate immunity in the tree lizard (Urosaurus ornatus) across an urban-rural gradient. J Comp Physiol [B].
- Santiago-Alarcon, Diego; Palinauskas, Vaidas; Schaefer, Hinrich Martin (2012). "Diptera vectors of avian Haemosporidian parasites: untangling parasite life cycles and their taxonomy". 87 (4): 928–964. doi:10.1111/j.1469-185x.2012.00234.x.
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Further reading
- Moltz, Victoria; Lewis, William; Vardo-Zalik, Anne (October 2014). "Leukocyte Profiles for Western Fence Lizards, Sceloporus occidentalis, Naturally Infected by the Malaria Parasite Plasmodium mexicanum". Journal of Parasitology. 100 (5): 592–597. doi:10.1645/13-371.1. PMID 24945903.