Huffia

Abstract: Numerous lineages of avian malaria parasites of the genus Plasmodium have been deposited in GenBank. However, only 11 morphospecies of Plasmodium have been linked to these lineages. Such linking is important because it provides opportunities to combine the existing knowledge of traditional parasitology with novel genetic information of these parasites obtained by molecular techniques. This study linked one mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) gene lineage with morphospecies Plasmodium (Huffia) elongatum, a cosmopolitan avian malaria parasite which causes lethal disease in some birds. One species of Plasmodium (mitochondrial cyt b gene lineage P-GRW6) was isolated from naturally infected adult great reed warblers (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) and inoculated to one naive juvenile individual of the same host species. Heavy parasitaemia developed in the subinoculated bird, which enabled identification of the morphospecies and deposition of its voucher specimens. The parasite of this lineage belongs to P. elongatum. Illustrations of blood stages of this parasite are given. Other lineages closely related to P. elongatum were identified. The validity of the subgenus Huffia is supported by phylogenetic analysis. Mitochondrial cyt b gene lineages, with GenBank accession nos. AF069611 and AY733088, belong to Plasmodium cathemerium and P. elongatum, respectively; these lineages have been formerly attributed to P. elongatum and P. relictum, respectively. Some other incorrect species identifications of avian haematozoa in GenBank have been identified. We propose a strategy to minimise the number of such mistakes in GenBank in the future.

Abstract: This paper deals with a new species of Plasmodium found in the house sparrow from the suburb of Guangzhou.Plasmodium (Giovannolaia) leanucleus sp. nov. (figs. 1, 2)The duration of schizogony in the blood appears to be 24 hours with marked synchronization. The distinctive characters of the new species are: (1) at all asexual stages it does not affect host cell; (2) the nucleus of all asexual forms and both microgametocytes and macro-gametocytes leans to one end of the parasite; (3) the mature schizont usually contains 6-14 nuclei with rich cytoplasm; (4) both microgametocytes and macrogametocytes are elongated, and easily distinguished from each other by Giemsa staining; (5) the number of pigments appeared to be black and oval, is 1-2 in ring form, large trophozoite 2-3, schizont 3-5, and gametocyte 6-9 and (6) the sensitivity of Anopheles dirus to this new parasite is very low, but 29.3% of Culex pifiens was found to have the oocystes after blood meal of the highly infected Passer domesticus and many small round sporoblast are formed in the late of oocystes.Host Passer domesticus, Pycnonotus jocosus.Location in host blood.Locality the Suburb (23°10'N, 113°30'E) of Guangzhou, China.This new species is a moderate parasite in size, it has elongated gametocytes which is different from the round gametocytes of subgenus Haemoeba; the plentiful cytoplasm in mature schizont is different from the poor cytoplasm of subgenus Novyella, and schizonts of exoery-throcytic stage of this new species did not appear in white cells from peripheral blood smears but schizont of exoerythrocytic stage appeared in the peripheral blood smears of subgenus Huffia. But it can be distinguished from other species of the same subgenus. At first, this new parasite differs from all the known species of Giovannolaia in the Passerine, such as, P. circumflexum and P. polare. Meanwhile, this new parasite also differs from all the species of Giovannolaia found in Gallinaceous and other birds, such as; P. fallax, P. durae, P. lophurae, P. pinottii, P. gundersi, P. formosanum, P. anasum, P. garnhami, P. hegneri, P. octamerium, P. gabaldomi, etc.This new species is also the first record of malaria parasite of Giovannolaia, so far reported from Passerine.All specimens are deposited in the Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Biology, Zhongshan University, Guangzhou, China.

Abstract: Literature data on toucans haemosporidians are scarce and all reports come from investigations in Brazil. Muniz et al. (Rev Bras Malariol 3: 339–356, Muniz et al., Rev Bras Malariol 3:339–356, 1951) and Muniz and Soares (Rev Bras Malar 611–617, Muniz J, Soares R de RL (1954) Nota sobre um parasita do genero Plasmodium encontrado no Ramphastos toco Muller, 1776, “Tucano-Acu”, e diferente do Plasmodium huffi: Plasmodium pinottii n. sp. Rev Bras Malar 611 – 617.) described two Plasmodium species, P. huffi and P. pinottii, in Ramphastos toco. Later, Manwell and Sessler (J Protozol 18: 570–574, Manwell and Sessler, Malaria Parasites of Toucans J Protozol 18:570–574, 1971) established a new subspecies, P. nucleophilum toucani. In the last review on avian haemosporidians, Valkiūnas (Valkiūnas, Avian malaria parasites and other haemosporidia, CRC Press, New York, 2005) highlighted that P. huffi was insufficiently characterized, considering it a lost lineage. Also, the original description of P. huffi was considered insufficiently clear, due to a possible co-infection of the toucan hosts with a Novyella-like species. Here, we redescribed the species Plasmodium (Huffia) huffi based on morphological and molecular data, which were found in two toucan species, Ramphastos toco and Pteroglossus aracari from Brazil. Morphological features of the specimens are markedly the same as the original description. In R. toco, we observe two individuals infected, one infected only with P. huffi and one co-infected with P. huffi and the Novyella-like species, as observed in the original description. Also, we observe one R. toco infected only with the Novyella-like species, identified by morphological and molecular data as Plasmodium (Novyella) nucleophilum nucleophilum. In this way, it was possible to redescribe Plasmodium huffi in detail, without the doubt characters observed in the original description. Moreover, by applying species delimitation algorithms to a large Plasmodium phylogeny, we were able to identify new possible hosts for P. huffi and extend its geographic distribution to include North America.

Abstract: Malaria parasites in the genus Plasmodium are now placed within 11 subgenera based on morphology under the light microscope, life-history traits, and host taxon. The phylogenetic significance of these characters, however, is problematic because the observed variation could be homoplasious. Using Plasmodium infections found in 2632 birds of many avian families collected in the USA, and several samples from other locations, we compared identifications to subgenus based on morphology in blood smears with a 2-gene molecular phylogeny (the first for avian Plasmodium) to determine if the 5 avian Plasmodium subgenera represent monophyletic groups. Phylogenetic trees recovered by parsimony, likelihood, and Bayesian methods presented nearly identical topologies. The analysis allowed testing the hypothesis of monophyly for the subgenera. Monophyly of the subgenera Haemamoeba, Huffia, and Bennettinia was supported by the analysis. The distinctive morphology of Haemamoeba species appears to have evolved once. Most samples identified to Novyella also fell within a monophyletic clade with the exception of 2 samples that fell basal to all other avian Plasmodium. Samples of the subgenus Giovannolaia did not form a monophyletic group. Thus, the characters used by parasitologists for over a century to define subgenera of Plasmodium vary in their phylogenetic significance.