Plasmodium minasense is a parasite of the genus Plasmodium

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. minasense 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 lizard

Lizard

Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...

s.

Description

The original description of this species was by Carini and Rudolphi in 1912 in a lizard Mabuia agilis. Since then a number of subspecies of P. minasense have been described.

The diagnostic features of P. minasense are:

• The schizonts are smaller than normal erythrocyte nuclei
  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...
  
  .
• Schzonts produce 4-8 merozoites
• The gametocytes are equal to or smaller than erythrocyte nuclei in size and round in shape
• They infect hosts of the lizard
  Lizard
  Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
  
   families Scincidae, Iguanidae
  Iguanidae
  Iguanidae is a family of lizards, composed of iguanas and related species.-Classification of Iguanidae:Two different classification schemes have been used to define the structure of this family. These are the "traditional" classification and the classification presented by Frost et al. .Frost et...
  
   and Teiidae
  Teiidae
  Teiidae is a family of lizards native to the Americas, generally known as whiptails. The group includes the parthenogenic genera Cnemidophorus and Aspidoscelis, and the non-parthenogenic Tupinambis. It has over 230 member species in ten genera...
  
   in the Neotropics

It is currently thought that P. minasense is closely related to Plasmodium floridense

Plasmodium floridense

Plasmodium floridense is a parasite of the genus Plasmodium subgenus Lacertaemoba.Like all Plasmodium species P. floridense has both vertebrate and insect hosts...

and Plasmodium tropiduri

Plasmodium tropiduri

Plasmodium tropiduri is a parasite of the genus Plasmodium subgenus Lacertaemoba.Like all Plasmodium species P. tropiduri has both vertebrate and insect hosts...

. Like much of the taxonomy in this genus this opinion may need to be revised once the species have been subjected to DNA analysis.

Subspecies are currently named on the basis of the hosts infected. This criterion may be subject to revision when DNA based taxonomy is applied to this species complex. The subspecies currently recognised include:

P. minasense anolisi

P. minasense calcaratae

P. minasense capitoi

P. minasense carinii

P. minasense diminutivum

P. minasense minasense

P. minasense plicae

P. minasense tegui

P. minasense anolisi

Described by Telford in 1979

Geographical occurrence:

Found in Panama

Panama

Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...

, Central America

Central America

Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...

 and the Caribbean

Caribbean

The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...

.

Clinical features and host pathology:

Known hosts include the lizard

Lizard

Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...

s Anolis cybotes, Anolis distichus

Anolis distichus

The bark anole is a species of anole found in many Caribbean islands and Florida . It spends most its time on tree trunks. Often it is a brownish color with a yellow dewlap. Many subspecies exist....

, Anolis frenatus and Anolis limifrons

P. minasense calcaratae

This subspecies was described by Telford and Telford in 2003.

It is characterized by very small, usually fan-shaped, schizonts that average 3.4 × 2.6 micrometres (range: 2.5 – 4.5 × 2.0 – 3.0). The schizonts produce 3.9 (range: 3 – 4) merozoites.

The gametocytes are spherical or ovoid averaging 6.7 × 5.0 micrometres (range: 4.5 – 9.0 × 3.0 – 7.0) in size with a length-width product of 33.7 (range: 15 – 54) and a length/width ratio of 1.4 (range: 1.0 – 2.3). By dimension they are not sexual dimorphic.

Geographical occurrence:

Found in Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

, South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

.

Clinical features and host pathology:

The only known host is the lizard

Lizard

Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...

 Kentropyx calcarata

P. minasense capitoi

This species was described by Telford in 1979.

Geographical occurrence:

Found in Panama

Panama

Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...

, Central America

Central America

Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...

.

Clinical features and host pathology:

The only known host is the lizard

Lizard

Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...

 Anolis capito

P. minasense carinii

This species was described by Leger and Mouzels in 1917

Geographical occurrence:

Found in coastal South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

.

Clinical features and host pathology:

The only known host is the lizard

Lizard

Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...

 Iguana iguana

P. minasense diminutivum

This species was described by Telford in 1973

Geographical occurrence:

Found in Panama

Panama

Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...

, Central America

Central America

Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...

.

Clinical features and host pathology:

The only known host is the lizard

Lizard

Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...

 Ameiva ameiva

P. minasense minasense

This is recognised as the type species. It was described by Carini and Rudolphi in 1912 in a lizard Mabuya agilis.

Geographical occurrence:

Found in Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, Central America

Central America

Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...

.

Clinical features and host pathology:

Known hosts include the lizard

Lizard

Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...

s Mabuya agilis and Mabuya mabouya

Mabuya mabouya

Mabuya mabouya is a species of skink found on certain islands in the Caribbean. It has shiny, bronze-colored skin, with a pair of light stripes that run along its upper flanks....

.

P. minasense plicae

This species was described by Telford in 1979.

Geographical occurrence:

Found in Guyana

Guyana

Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...

, South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

.

Clinical features and host pathology:

The only known host is the lizard

Lizard

Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...

 Plica umbra

P. minasense tegui

Geographical occurrence:

Found in Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

, South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

.

Clinical features and host pathology:

The only known host is the lizard

Lizard

Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...

 Tupinambis teguixin