''Babesiosoma'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of parasitic

alveolates The alveolates (meaning "pitted like a honeycomb") are a group of protists, considered a major unranked clade or superphylum within Eukaryota. They are currently grouped with the Stramenopiles and Rhizaria among the protists with tubulocristat ...

in the

phylum In biology, a phylum (; : phyla) is a level of classification, or taxonomic rank, that is below Kingdom (biology), kingdom and above Class (biology), class. Traditionally, in botany the term division (taxonomy), division has been used instead ...

Apicomplexia The Apicomplexa (also called Apicomplexia; single: apicomplexan) are organisms of a large phylum of mainly parasitic Alveolata, alveolates. Most possess a unique form of organelle#Eukaryotic organelles, organelle structure that comprises a type o ...

. They have two hosts in their life cycle: the

vertebrate Vertebrates () are animals with a vertebral column (backbone or spine), and a cranium, or skull. The vertebral column surrounds and protects the spinal cord, while the cranium protects the brain. The vertebrates make up the subphylum Vertebra ...

hosts are

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

and the invertebrate vectors are

leech Leeches are segmented parasitism, parasitic or Predation, predatory worms that comprise the Class (biology), subclass Hirudinea within the phylum Annelida. They are closely related to the Oligochaeta, oligochaetes, which include the earthwor ...

es. This genus has been poorly studied and little is known about it.

History

The genus was created in 1956 by Jakowska and Nigrelli.Jakowska S, Nigrelli RF (1956)Some protozoan diseases of man and animals: Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, and Toxoplasmosis. Annal NY Acad Sci 64, 112–127 Seven species have been recognised in this genus.Misra KK, Haldar DP, Chakravarty MM (1969) ''Babesiosoma ophicephali'' n. sp. from the freshwater teleost ''Ophicephalus punctatus'' Bloch. J Protozool 16(3):446-449Negm-Eldin MM (1998) Life cycle, host restriction and longevity of ''Babesiosoma mariae'' HOARE, 1930 (Apicomplexa: Dactylosomatidae). Dtsch Tierarztl Wochenschr 105(10):367-374Smit NJ, Van As JG, Davies AJ (2003) Observations on ''Babesiosoma mariae'' (Apicomplexa: Dactylosomatidae) from the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Folia Parasitol (Praha) 50(1):85-86

References

Apicomplexa genera Conoidasida {{Apicomplexa-stub