''Plasmodium circumflexum'' 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 ''

Giovannolaia ''Giovanolaia'' is a subgenus of the genus ''Plasmodium'' created by Corradetti ''et al.'' in 1963. The parasites within this subgenus infect birds. This subgenus was shown on the basis of DNA analysis to be polyphyletic. This is unsurprising � ...

''. Like all ''Plasmodium'' species ''P. circumflexum'' 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 Kikuth in 1931 in a juniper thrush. It may have been the same species previous described by Labbe in 1894 who thought it was a species of ''

Haemoproteus ''Haemoproteus'' is a genus of alveolates that are parasitic in birds, reptiles and amphibians. Its name is derived from Greek: ''Haima'', "blood", and ''Proteus'', a sea god who had the power of assuming different shapes. The name ''Haemoprot ...

''.

Description

Schizonts: these are large and when mature may entirely encircle the erythrocyte nucleus. Merozoites: each schizont gives rise to 13-30 merozoites (mean 19.8: standard deviation 5). Gametocytes: these are large and when mature may entirely encircle the erythrocyte nucleus.

Distribution

This parasite is found in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Morocco, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the United States.

Vectors

Culiseta morsitans ''Culiseta'' is a genus of mosquitoes. Most ''Culiseta'' species are cold-adapted, and only occur in warmer climates during the colder parts of the year or at higher elevations where temperatures are lower. Species found in Southern California a ...

'' ''

Mansonia crassipes ''Coquillettidia (Coquillettidia) crassipes'' is a species complex of zoophilic mosquito belonging to the genus ''Coquillettidia''. Distribution It has a wide range of distribution from west to east. It is found in Sri Lanka, Australia, Banglad ...

'' '' Theobaldia annulata'' Sporogeny but not transmission has been recorded in '' Mansonia perturbans''.

Hosts

''P. circumflexum'' has been recorded infecting the following hosts: *Shikra (''

Accipiter badius The shikra (''Accipiter badius'') is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found widely distributed in Asia and Africa where it is also called the little banded goshawk. The African forms may represent a separate species but have usu ...

'')Salakij J, Lertwatcharasarakul P, Kasorndorkbua C, Salakij C (2012) ''Plasmodium circumflexum'' in a Shikra (''Accipiter badius''): phylogeny and ultra-structure of the haematozoa. Jpn J Vet Res 60(2-3):105-109 *Eurasian Sparrowhawk (''

Accipiter nisus The Eurasian sparrowhawk (''Accipiter nisus''), also known as the northern sparrowhawk or simply the sparrowhawk, is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Adult male Eurasian sparrowhawks have bluish grey upperparts and orange-barred ...

'')Tanigawa M, Sato Y, Ejiri H, Imura T, Chiba R, Yamamoto H, Kawaguchi M, Tsuda Y, Murata K, Yukawa M (2012) Molecular identification of avian haemosporidia in wild birds and mosquitoes on Tsushima Island, Japan. J Vet Med Sci *Sharp-shinned hawk (''

Accipiter striatus The sharp-shinned hawk (''Accipiter striatus'') is a small hawk, with males being the smallest hawks in the United States and Canada, but with the species averaging larger than some Neotropical species, such as the tiny hawk. The taxonomy is far ...

''),Kirkpatrick CE, Lauer DM. (1985) Hematozoa of raptors from southern New Jersey and adjacent areas. J Wildl. Dis. 21(1):1-6. *Red-winged blackbird (''

Agelaius phoeniceus The red-winged blackbird (''Agelaius phoeniceus'') is a passerine bird of the family Icteridae found in most of North America and much of Central America. It breeds from Alaska and Newfoundland south to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, and G ...

''), *Wood duck (''

Aix sponsa The wood duck or Carolina duck (''Aix sponsa'') is a species of perching duck found in North America. The drake wood duck is one of the most colorful North American waterfowl. Description The wood duck is a medium-sized perching duck. A typ ...

''), *Canvasbacks ('' Aythya valisineria''), *Blue jay (''

Cyanocitta cristata The blue jay (''Cyanocitta cristata'') is a passerine bird in the family (biology), family Corvidae, native to eastern North America. It lives in most of the eastern and central United States; some eastern populations may be migratory. Resident ...

''), *Cape May warbler (''

Dendroica tigrina The Cape May warbler (''Setophaga tigrina'') is a species of New World warbler. It breeds in northern North America. Its breeding range spans all but the westernmost parts of southern Canada, the Great Lakes region, and New England. It is migrat ...

''), *Gray cat bird ('' Dumella carolinensis''), *Slate colour junicao ('' Junico hymenalis''), *Song sparrow (''

Melospiza melodia The song sparrow (''Melospiza melodia'') is a medium-sized New World sparrow. Among the native sparrows in North America, it is easily one of the most abundant, variable and adaptable species. Description Adult song sparrows have brown upperpa ...

''), *Common merganser (''

Mergus merganser The common merganser (North American) or goosander (Eurasian) (''Mergus merganser'') is a large seaduck of rivers and lakes in forested areas of Europe, Asia, and North America. The common merganser eats mainly fish. It nests in holes in trees. ...

''), *Cowbird ('' Molothrus ater ater''), *Finch ('' Richmondena cardinalis cardinalis''), *Trumpeter swan (''

Olor buccinator The trumpeter swan (''Cygnus buccinator'') is a species of swan found in North America. The heaviest living bird native to North America, it is also the largest extant species of waterfowl, with a wingspan of 185 to 250 cm (6 ft 2 in to 8 ft 2 i ...

''), *Chestnut-tailed starling (''

Sturnus malabaricus The chestnut-tailed starling (''Sturnia malabarica''), also called grey-headed starling and grey-headed myna is a member of the starling family. It is a resident or partially migratory species found in wooded habitats in India and Southeast As ...

''), *Brown thrasher ('' Toxostomar ufum''), *White throated sparrow ('' Tromotrichio albicolis''), *American robin ('' Turdus migratorius''), *Juniper thrush (''

Turdus pilaris The fieldfare (''Turdus pilaris'') is a member of the thrush family Turdidae. It breeds in woodland and scrub in northern Europe and across the Palearctic. It is strongly migratory, with many northern birds moving south during the winter. It i ...

''), *Wild guineafowl ('' Numida meleagris'')Earle RA, Horak IG, Huchzermeyer FW, Bennett GF, Braack LE, Penzhorn BL. (1991) The prevalence of blood parasites in helmeted guineafowls, ''Numida meleagris'', in the Kruger National Park. Onderstepoort J. Vet. Res. 58(3):145-147 - the pathological features in acute cases include anaemia, jaundice and splenomegaly; in the subacute cases severe splenomegaly, right ventricular hypertrophy and multifocal interstitial myocarditis.Huchzermeyer F.W. and Van Der Vyver F.H. (1991) Isolation of ''Plasmodium circumflexum'' from wild guineafowl (''Numida meleagris'') and the experimental infection in domestic poultry. Avian Path.20(2) 213 - 223 *White throated sparrow ('' Zonotrichia albicollis'')

References

External links

*Picture of eythroctic forms - http://workforce.cup.edu/Buckelew/Plasmodium%20circumflexum.htm circularis Parasites of birds {{plasmodium-stub