Plasmodium gabaldoni
Encyclopedia
Plasmodium gabaldoni is a parasite of the genus Plasmodium
subgenus Giovannolaia
.
Like all Plasmodium species P. gabaldoni has both vertebrate
and insect
hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are bird
s.
The trophozoites are round, have a large vacuole
and a large nucleus
. Up to five pigment granules may be present clumped into a single mass. Multiple trophozoites may be found within the same host cell.
Each trophozoite gives rise to 12-36 (average 24) merozoites. The meronts surround the host nucleus and frequently induce rounding of the host cell. Merogony usually takes 24 hours.
Gametocyte
s surround the host nucleus and cause rounding of the host cell.
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 Giovannolaia
Giovannolaia
Giovanolaia is a subgenus of the genus Plasmodium created by Corradetti et al. in 1963. The parasites within this subgenus infect birds.- Diagnostic features :Species in the subgenus Giovanolaia have the following characteristics:...
.
Like all Plasmodium species P. gabaldoni 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 bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s.
Description
The parasite was first described by Garnham in 1977.The trophozoites are round, have a large vacuole
Vacuole
A vacuole is a membrane-bound organelle which is present in all plant and fungal cells and some protist, animal and bacterial cells. Vacuoles are essentially enclosed compartments which are filled with water containing inorganic and organic molecules including enzymes in solution, though in certain...
and a large 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...
. Up to five pigment granules may be present clumped into a single mass. Multiple trophozoites may be found within the same host cell.
Each trophozoite gives rise to 12-36 (average 24) merozoites. The meronts surround the host nucleus and frequently induce rounding of the host cell. Merogony usually takes 24 hours.
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 surround the host nucleus and cause rounding of the host cell.