''Plasmodium balli'' 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 living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

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 ver ...

''. Like all ''Plasmodium''

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

it has

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

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 ...

hosts A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places *Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County People *Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman *Michel Host ( ...

. The vertebrate hosts are lizards; the insect vector is not yet known.

Description

Telford first described ''Plasmodium balli'' in 1969.Telford SR Jr. (1969) A new Saurian malarial parasite ''Plasmodium balli'' from Panama. J. Protozool. 16(3):431-437 The host's proerythrocytes and normoblasts are more commonly parasitized than erythrocytes. Pigment is uncommon but when present, it consists of a minute dot. Enucleated host cells are common. The

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 are large and elongated. Hypertrophy, distortion and lysis of host cell nuclei may result from parasitization of immature blood cells by this stage. 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 is ...

s produced up to 100

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 ...

Geographic occurrence

This parasite is found in the Caribbean and

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

Clinical features and host pathology

Host record:

Anole lizard Dactyloidae are a family of lizards commonly known as anoles () and native to warmer parts of the Americas, ranging from southeastern United States to Paraguay. Instead of treating it as a family, some authorities prefer to treat it as a subfam ...

s - ''

Anolis limifrons ''Anolis limifrons'', also known commonly as the slender anole or the border anole, is a species of lizard in the family Dactyloidae. The species is native to Central America. Geographic range ''A. limifrons'' is found in Guatemala, Belize, Hon ...

'', ''

Anolis lionotus ''Anolis lionotus'', the lion anole, is a species of lizard in the family Dactyloidae. The species is found in Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transconti ...

'' and '' Anolis poecilopus''

Description

Geographic occurrence

Clinical features and host pathology

References

Further reading