''Plasmodium tejerai'' 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 blood-feeding insect host which then injects parasites into a vert ...

'' subgenus '' Haemamoeba''. Like all ''Plasmodium'' species ''P. tejerai'' has both

vertebrate Vertebrates () comprise all animal taxon, taxa within the subphylum Vertebrata () (chordates with vertebral column, backbones), including all mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the ...

and

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

Taxonomy

The parasite was first described by Gabaldon and Ulloa in 1977.

Distribution

This parasite is found in Brazil and Venezuela.

Vectors

Not known.

Clinical features and host pathology

This organism infects the domestic turkey (''

Meleagris gallopavo The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an upland ground bird native to North America, one of two extant species of turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic turkey, which was originally ...

'') and the South American penguin (''

Spheniscus magellanicus The Magellanic penguin (''Spheniscus magellanicus'') is a South American penguin, breeding in coastal Patagonia, including Argentina, Chile, and the Falkland Islands, with some migrating to Brazil and Uruguay, where they are occasionally seen as ...

''). Morphologically this parasite resembles ''

Plasmodium relictum ''Plasmodium relictum'' is a species in the genus '' Plasmodium,'' subgenus ''Haemamoeba''. It is a parasite, and the most common cause of malaria in birds. Like all ''Plasmodium'' species, ''P. relictum'' has both vertebrate and insect ...

'' closely. In the penguin infection may be fatal with splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, hydropericardium and pulmonary oedema.

References

tejerai Parasites of birds {{plasmodium-stub