Plasmodium clelandi
Encyclopedia
Plasmodium clelandi is a parasite of the genus Plasmodium
subgenus Carinamoeba
.
Like all Plasmodium species P. clelandi has both vertebrate
and insect
hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are reptile
s.
William Paton Cleland.
The host cell
s are not altered in either shape or size by the asexual stages of the parasite. Pigment is rare and a vacuole may be present.
The schizonts typically give rise to 8 merozoites.
The gametocyte
s are elongated with an irregular edge. They tend to encircle the nucleus
and the host cell tends to become oval in shape.
Male gametocytes measure 20 micrometre
s x 2 micrometres and possess 6-8 brown pigment granules.
Female gametocytes measure 18 micrometres x 4 micrometres. The cytoplasm tends to be more basophilic than the male gametocytes. 10-12 pigment granules are found in the cytoplasm.
Plasmodium
Plasmodium is a genus of parasitic protists. Infection by these organisms is known as malaria. The genus Plasmodium was described in 1885 by Ettore Marchiafava and Angelo Celli. Currently over 200 species of this genus are recognized and new species continue to be described.Of the over 200 known...
subgenus Carinamoeba
Carinamoeba
Carinamoeba is a subgenus of the genus Plasmodium - all of which are parastic protozoa. The subgenus was created in 1966 by Garnham. Species in this subgenus infect reptiles.- Diagnostic features :...
.
Like all Plasmodium species P. clelandi has both vertebrate
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
and insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
s.
Description
This species was described by Manawadu in 1972. It was named after the eminent cardio-thoracic surgeonSurgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
William Paton Cleland.
The host cell
Cell (biology)
The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all known living organisms. It is the smallest unit of life that is classified as a living thing, and is often called the building block of life. The Alberts text discusses how the "cellular building blocks" move to shape developing embryos....
s are not altered in either shape or size by the asexual stages of the parasite. Pigment is rare and a vacuole may be present.
The schizonts typically give rise to 8 merozoites.
The gametocyte
Gametocyte
A gametocyte is a eukaryotic germ cell that divides by mitosis into other gametocytes or by meiosis into gametids during gametogenesis. Male gametocytes are called spermatocytes, and female gametocytes are called oocytes....
s are elongated with an irregular edge. They tend to encircle the nucleus
Cell nucleus
In cell biology, the nucleus is a membrane-enclosed organelle found in eukaryotic cells. It contains most of the cell's genetic material, organized as multiple long linear DNA molecules in complex with a large variety of proteins, such as histones, to form chromosomes. The genes within these...
and the host cell tends to become oval in shape.
Male gametocytes measure 20 micrometre
Micrometre
A micrometer , is by definition 1×10-6 of a meter .In plain English, it means one-millionth of a meter . Its unit symbol in the International System of Units is μm...
s x 2 micrometres and possess 6-8 brown pigment granules.
Female gametocytes measure 18 micrometres x 4 micrometres. The cytoplasm tends to be more basophilic than the male gametocytes. 10-12 pigment granules are found in the cytoplasm.