''Plasmodium lemuris'' is a parasite of the genus ''

Plasmodium ''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 Hematophagy, blood-feeding insect host (biology), host which then inj ...

'' subgenus ''

Vinckeia ''Vinckeia'' is a subgenus of the genus ''Plasmodium'' — all of which are parasitic Alveolata, alveolates. The subgenus ''Vinckeia'' was created by Cyril Garnham in 1964 to accommodate the mammalian parasites other than those infecting the prim ...

''. Like all ''Plasmodium'' species ''P. lemuris'' has both

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 ...

and

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are

mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Huff and Hoogstraal in 1963 in the black lemur ''Lemur collaris''.Huff C.G.,Hoogstraal H. J. (1963) ''Plasmodium lemuris'' N. Sp., from ''Lemur collaris'' E. Geoffroy. J. Infect Dis. 112:233-236 This species may belong to the genus ''

Haemoproteus ''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'' ...

'' rather than to ''

''. Clarification of this point awaits examination of the organism's

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...

Distribution

This species is found in Madagascar.

Hosts

The known hosts include the

lemur Lemurs ( ; from Latin ) are Strepsirrhini, wet-nosed primates of the Superfamily (biology), superfamily Lemuroidea ( ), divided into 8 Family (biology), families and consisting of 15 genera and around 100 existing species. They are Endemism, ...

s '' Lemur macaco macaco'' and ''

Lemur collaris Lemurs ( ; from Latin ) are wet-nosed primates of the superfamily Lemuroidea ( ), divided into 8 families and consisting of 15 genera and around 100 existing species. They are endemic to the island of Madagascar. Most existing lemurs are sma ...

''. The infected

erythrocyte Red blood cells (RBCs), referred to as erythrocytes (, with -''cyte'' translated as 'cell' in modern usage) in academia and medical publishing, also known as red cells, erythroid cells, and rarely haematids, are the most common type of blood ce ...

is enlarged (+/- 10 micrometres) and distorted in shape and in many instances is almost completely filled by the parasite. Young

trophozoite A trophozoite (G. ''trope'', nourishment + ''zoon'', animal) is the activated, feeding stage in the life cycle of certain protozoa such as malaria-causing ''Plasmodium falciparum'' and those of the ''Giardia'' group. The complementary form of the t ...

s are small and occupy three-tenths to four-tenths of the erythrocytes. The nucleus stains rose-red. Larger trophozoites are more irregular tending toward amoeboidity. Pigment is in granules and there is no stippling of the host cell. The

schizont Apicomplexans, a group of intracellular parasites, have life cycle stages that allow them to survive the wide variety of environments they are exposed to during their complex life cycle. Each stage in the life cycle of an apicomplexan organism ...

s display irregularly shaped nuclei. The pigment is brown and clumped into a diffused mass. The

gametocytes 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''. Development ...

are very large (11×7 micrometres) and irregular in shape. Their nuclei are band-like or lobed irregularly. The macrogametocytes have lavender to purple cytoplasm. The pigment is made up of small dark brown granules within vacuoles. The microgametocytes have red-staining nuclei and slate-gray cytoplasm. Their pigment is similar to that of the macrogametocytes.

References

lemuris {{plasmodium-stub