''Plasmodium aegyptensis'' is a

parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

of the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

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 ''

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

'' which infects the Egyptian grass rat (''

Arvicanthis niloticus ''Arvicanthis'' is a genus of rodent from Africa. They are commonly referred to as unstriped grass mice, unstriped grass rats, and kusu rats. Species Genus ''Arvicanthis'' - unstriped grass mice * Abyssinian grass rat, ''Arvicanthis abyssinicus ...

''). The insect vector(s) for this species is not yet known.

Description

This species was first described in 1975 by Abd-el-Aziz ''et al.'' in

Assiut AsyutAlso spelled ''Assiout'' or ''Assiut'' ( ar, أسيوط ' , from ' ) is the capital of the modern Asyut Governorate in Egypt. It was built close to the ancient city of the same name, which is situated nearby. The modern city is located at , ...

from a group of Egyptian grass rats which had been captured. The parasite has not been isolated from other Egyptian grass rats since. As such, only the parasite stages which infect red blood cells of the vertebrate host have been described. When ''P. aegyptensis'' infects red blood cells in its mammalian host, it forms compact rings with a small

food vacuole The food vacuole, or digestive vacuole, is an organelle found in simple eukaryotes such as protists. This organelle is essentially a lysosome. During the stage of the symbiont parasites' lifecycle where it resides within a human (or other mammali ...

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 complement of the trophozo ...

forms are compact and rounded.

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 generally contain six

merozoites 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 ...

(although 4 to 8 have been observed). When the parasites differentiate into

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''. Development ...

s, these tend to occupy one pole of the cell, and they grow in size until larger than the uninfected red blood cells.

Distribution

''P. aegyptensis'' has only been described a single time in Assiut, Egypt.

Vectors

The insect host of ''P. aegyptensis'' is not known.

References

aegyptensis {{Plasmodium-stub eo:Plasmodio lt:Plazmodis pl:Zarodziec sv:Plasmodium (släkte) zh:瘧原蟲