''Plasmodium uluguruense'' 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 ''

Lacertamoeba ''Lacertamoeba'' is a subgenus of the genus ''Plasmodium'' — all of which are parasites. All species in this subgenus infect reptiles. Taxonomy This subgenus was created by Telford to refine the classification of species then given as '' Plas ...

''. Like all ''Plasmodium'' species ''P. uluguruense'' 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 reptiles.

Description

The parasite was first described by Telford in 1984.Telford, Jr S.R. (1984) Studies on African saurian malarias: Three ''Plasmodium'' species from gekkonid hosts J. Parasitol. 70 (3) 343-354 Young

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 is ...

s are elongate with blunt ends and become oval or round following the second nuclear division. Mature schizonts are smaller than the host cell nuclei, produce 4-12

merozoite 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 is ...

s and are usually arranged as a fan. Immature

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''. Developme ...

s like young schizonts are elongate with blunt ends. Mature gametocytes are usually oval and approximate the host cell nuclei in size. Their pigment granules concentrated in a single focus.

Geographical occurrence

This species is found in the

Uluguru Mountains The Uluguru mountains are a mountain range in eastern Tanzania, named after the Luguru tribe. The main portion of the Uluguru mountains is a ridge running roughly north-south and rising to altitude at its highest point. On the main Uluguru ra ...

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

Clinical features and host pathology

This species infects the lizard ''

Hemidactylus platycephalus ''Hemidactylus platycephalus'', also known as the tree gecko, flathead leaf-toed gecko, or Baobab gecko, is a species of gecko. It is widely distributed in eastern Africa between Somalia in the north and Mozambique and Madagascar in the south. R ...

''.

References

uluguruense {{plasmodium-stub