Frenkelia

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Frenkelia
Scientific classification
Domain:
(unranked):
Sar
(unranked):
Phylum:
Class:
Subclass:
Order:
Suborder:
Family:
Sarcocystidae Poche 1913
Subfamily:
Genus:
Frenkelia Biocca 1968
Species

Frenkelia clethrionomyobuteonis
Frenkelia glareoli
Frenkelia microti

Contents

Frenkelia is a genus of parasites in the phylum Apicomplexa. The species in this genus infect the gastrointestinal tracts of birds of prey (definitive hosts) and the tissues of small rodents (intermediate hosts).

Taxonomy

Species of this genus share antigens with Sarcocystis . [1] DNA studies suggest that this genus should be merged with Sarcocystis. [2] [3]

Despite several recommendations, abolition of this genus has not yet been approved. [4] [5]

Lifecycle

The parasites undergo sexual reproduction in the gut of the definitive host — a bird of prey. They form cysts and are then eaten by a small rodent. Within the gut of the rodent, the parasites decyst. They invade the intestinal wall and are carried to the liver. They undergo schizogony in the hepatocytes and Kupffer cells. They then invade the nervous tissue of the rodent host, forming cystic structures. [6] The infected rodent is then eaten by a bird, when the tissue cysts are digested, releasing the parasites. The parasites invade the enterocytes, undergo merogony and gametogony. Gametes are formed which then fuse forming a zygote that undergoes encystation.

Host records

Unknown parasite species

Related Research Articles

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The Apicomplexa are a large phylum of parasitic alveolates. Most of them possess a unique form of organelle that comprises a type of plastid called an apicoplast, and an apical complex structure. The organelle is an adaptation that the apicomplexan applies in penetration of a host cell.

<i>Plasmodium</i> Genus of parasitic protists that can cause malaria

Plasmodium is a genus of unicellular eukaryotes that are obligate parasites of vertebrates and insects. The life cycles of Plasmodium species involve development in a blood-feeding insect host which then injects parasites into a vertebrate host during a blood meal. Parasites grow within a vertebrate body tissue before entering the bloodstream to infect red blood cells. The ensuing destruction of host red blood cells can result in disease, called malaria. During this infection, some parasites are picked up by a blood-feeding insect, continuing the life cycle.

Vole Type of small omnivorous rodent

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<i>Neospora caninum</i> Species of Conoidasida in the apicomplex phylum

Neospora caninum is a protozoa that was identified as a species in 1988. Prior to this, it was misclassified as Toxoplasma gondii due to structural similarities. The genome sequence of Neospora caninum has been determined by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the University of Liverpool. Neospora caninum is an important cause of spontaneous abortion in infected livestock.

<i>Sarcocystis</i> Genus of protists in the apicomplex phylum

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Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis

Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), is a disease caused by the apicomplexan parasite Sarcocystis neurona that affects the central nervous system of horses.

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The Sarcocystidae are a family of Apicomplexa associated with a variety of diseases in humans and other animals.

<i>Babesia</i> Genus of protozoan parasites

Babesia, also called Nuttallia, is an apicomplexan parasite that infects red blood cells and is transmitted by ticks. Originally discovered by the Romanian bacteriologist Victor Babeș, over 100 species of Babesia have since been identified.

Mycobacterium microti

<i>Leucocytozoon</i> Genus of protists

Leucocytozoon is a genus of parasitic alveolates belonging to the phylum Apicomplexa.

Eucoccidiorida Order of microscopic, spore-forming, single-celled parasites in the apicomplex phylum

The Eucoccidiorida are an order of microscopic, spore-forming, single-celled parasites belonging to the apicomplexan class Conoidasida. Protozoans of this order include parasites of humans, and both domesticated and wild animals including birds. Among these parasites are the Toxoplasma gondii that cause toxoplasmosis and Isospora belli, which results in isosporiasis.

<i>Cystoisospora</i> Genus of single-celled organisms

Cystoisospora is a genus of parasitic alveolates belonging to the phylum Apicomplexa.

Aggregata is a genus of parasitic alveolates belonging to the phylum Apicomplexa.

Atoxoplasma is a genus of parasitic alveolates in the phylum Apicomplexa. The species in this genus infect birds. They are spread by the orofaecal route.

Calyptospora is a genus of parasitic protozoa in the phylum Apicomplexa.

Hammondia is a genus of parasitic alveolates in the phylum Apicomplexa.

<i>Klossiella</i> Genus of single-celled organisms

Klossiella is a genus of parasitic alveolates of the phylum Apicomplexa. Species in this genus infect the renal tract of mammals and intestinal tract of snakes.

Hyaloklossia is a genus of parasitic alveolates in the phylum Apicomplexa. Only one species in this genus is currently recognised - Hyaloklossia lieberkuehni.

Hammondia hammondi is a species of obligate heteroxenous parasitic alveolates of domestic cats. Intracellular cysts develop mainly in striated muscle. After the ingestion of cysts by cats, a multiplicative cycle precedes the development of gametocytes in the epithelium of the small intestine. Oocyst shedding persists for 10 to 28 days followed by immunity. Cysts in skeletal muscle measure between 100 and 340 μm in length and 40 and 95 μm in width. Some of the intermediate hosts develop low levels of antibody and some cross-immunity against Toxoplasma.

References

  1. Cerná Z, Kolárová I (1978). "Contribution to the serological diagnosis of sarcocystosis". Folia Parasitol. 25 (4): 289–92. PMID   105972.
  2. Votýpka J, Hypsa V, Jirků M, Flegr J, Vávra J, Lukes J (1998). "Molecular phylogenetic relatedness of Frenkelia spp. (Protozoa, Apicomplexa) to Sarcocystis falcatula Stiles 1893: is the genus Sarcocystis paraphyletic?". J. Eukaryot. Microbiol. 45 (1): 137–41. doi:10.1111/j.1550-7408.1998.tb05081.x. PMID   9495042.
  3. Olias P, Gruber AD, Heydorn AO, Kohls A, Mehlhorn H, Hafez HM, Lierz M (2009). "A novel Sarcocystis-associated encephalitis and myositis in racing pigeons". Avian Pathol. 38 (2): 121–8. doi: 10.1080/03079450902737847 . PMID   19322710.
  4. Modrý D, Votýpka J, Svobodová M (2004). "Note on the Taxonomy of Frenkelia microti (Findlay & Middleton, 1934) (Apicomplexa: Sarcocystidae)". Syst. Parasitol. 58 (3): 185–7. doi:10.1023/B:SYPA.0000032924.63708.57. PMID   15218365.
  5. Mugridge NB, Morrison DA, Jäkel T, Heckeroth AR, Tenter AM, Johnson AM (2000). "Effects of sequence alignment and structural domains of ribosomal DNA on phylogeny reconstruction for the protozoan family sarcocystidae". Mol. Biol. Evol. 17 (12): 1842–53. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a026285 . PMID   11110900.
  6. Geisel O, Kaiser E, Vogel O, Krampitz HE, Rommel M (1979). "Pathomorphologic findings in short-tailed voles (Microtus agrestis) experimentally-infected with Frenkelia microti". J. Wildl. Dis. 15 (2): 267–70. doi: 10.7589/0090-3558-15.2.267 . PMID   113563.