''Plasmodium cephalophi'' 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 ''

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 ...

''. As in all ''Plasmodium'' species, ''P. cephalophi'' has both

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, ...

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

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

Taxonomy

The parasite was first described by Bruce ''et al.'' in 1913.Bruce D., Harvey D., Hamerton A. E. and Bruce (1913) Proc. Royal Soc. Lond. B pp45-50

Description

The schizonts give rise to 8-12 merozoites. Mature merozoites measure 10 x 10 micrometres. The merozoites are large measuring 3.5 by 4.0 micrometres. The gametocytes are round and possess a number of darkly staining granules. The infected erythrocytes are pale.

Distribution

This species was described in Malawi.

Hosts

The parasite was found in the blood of two antelopes (''

Cephalophus grimmi ''Cephalophus'' is a mammal genus which contains at least fifteen species of duiker, a type of small antelope. Species Following Groves (2005), the species within ''Cephalophus'' include: * Aders's duiker ''Cephalophus adersi'' * Brooke's duiker ...

''). It is also known to infect the grey

duiker A duiker is a small to medium-sized brown antelope native to sub-Saharan Africa, found in heavily wooded areas. The 22 extant species, including three sometimes considered to be subspecies of the other species, form the subfamily Cephalophina ...

(''

Sylvicapra grimmia The common duiker (''Sylvicapra grimmia''), also known as the grey or bush duiker, is a small antelope and the monotypic taxon, only member of the genus ''Sylvicapra''. This species is found everywhere in Africa south of the Sahara, excluding the ...

'') Keymer I.F. (1966) Studies on ''Plasmodium (Vinckeia) cephalophi'' of the grey duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia) Ann. Trop. Med. Parasitol. 60(2):129-138

References

cephalophi cephalophi {{plasmodium-stub