| Plasmodium homonucleophilum | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Diaphoretickes |
| Clade: | SAR |
| Clade: | Alveolata |
| Phylum: | Apicomplexa |
| Class: | Aconoidasida |
| Order: | Haemospororida |
| Family: | Plasmodiidae |
| Genus: | Plasmodium |
| Species: | P. homonucleophilum |
| Binomial name | |
| Plasmodium homonucleophilum Ilgūnas et al., 2013 | |
Plasmodium homonucleophilum is a parasitic apicomplexan of the genus Plasmodium , subgenus Novyella [1] whose parasitic hosts are birds.
Plasmodium homonucleophilum was described by Ilgūnas et al. in 2013. [1]
Plasmodium homonucleophilum has been found in Europe, Africa and Asia [2]
Plasmodium homonucleophilum has been found infecting twelve families of birds. Its known hosts are the great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus), the Blyth's reed warbler ( Acrocephalus dumetorum ), the aquatic warbler ( Acrocephalus paludicola ), the Sedge warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus), the Eurasian reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus), the Eurasian skylark (Alauda arvensis), the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), the grey heron (Ardea cinerea), the cork crane (Crex crex), the Eurasian blue tit ( Cyanistes caeruleus ), the black-faced bunting ( Emberiza spodocephala), the common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), the white-naped crane ( Grus vipio ), the common grasshopper warbler ( Locustella naevia ), the bluethroat ( Luscinia svecica ), the great tit ( Parus major ), the great cormorant ( Phalacrocorax carbo ), the little crake ( Porzana parva ), the water rail (Rallus aquaticus), the whinchat ( Saxicola rubetra ), the tawny owl ( Strix aluco ) and the common greenshank (Tringa nebularia). [3]
The vector of P. homonucleophilum has not been strictly identified yet, although this parasite was found in the thorax of unfed Culex pipiens mosquitoes sampled in Switzerland. [4]
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 malaria. During this infection, some parasites are picked up by a blood-feeding insect, continuing the life cycle.
Avian malaria is a parasitic disease of birds, caused by parasite species belonging to the genera Plasmodium and Hemoproteus. The disease is transmitted by a dipteran vector including mosquitoes in the case of Plasmodium parasites and biting midges for Hemoproteus. The range of symptoms and effects of the parasite on its bird hosts is very wide, from asymptomatic cases to drastic population declines due to the disease, as is the case of the Hawaiian honeycreepers. The diversity of parasites is large, as it is estimated that there are approximately as many parasites as there are species of hosts. As research on human malaria parasites became difficult, Dr. Ross studied avian malaria parasites. Co-speciation and host switching events have contributed to the broad range of hosts that these parasites can infect, causing avian malaria to be a widespread global disease, found everywhere except Antarctica.
The London Underground mosquito is a form of mosquito in the genus Culex. It is found in the London Underground railway system as its name suggests, but has a worldwide distribution and long predates the existence of the London Underground. It was first described as a distinct species from Egyptian specimens by the biologist Peter Forsskål (1732–1763). He named this mosquito Culex molestus due to its voracious biting, but later biologists renamed it Culex pipiens f. molestus because there were no morphological differences between it and Culex pipiens. Notably, this mosquito assaulted Londoners sleeping in the Underground during the Blitz, although similar populations were long known.
Haemoproteus is a genus of alveolates that are parasitic in birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Its name is derived from Greek: haima 'blood' and Proteus, a sea god that had the power to assume various shapes. The name Haemoproteus was first used in the description of H. columbae in the blood of the pigeon Columba livia by Walther Kruse in 1890. This was also the first description of this genus. Two other genera—Halteridium and Simondia—are now considered to be synonyms of Haemoproteus.
Plasmodium juxtanucleare is a species of parasite in the family Plasmodiidae. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are birds.
Plasmodium vaughani is a parasite of the genus Plasmodium, and the type species of the subgenus Novyella. As in all Plasmodium species, P. vaughani has both vertebrate and insect hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are birds.
Lankesterella is a genus in the phylum Apicomplexa. Species in this genus infect amphibians, reptiles and birds.