Molecular phylogenetic analysis of the avian malarial parasite Plasmodium (Novyella) juxtanucleare

Jessica C. Kissinger (1) , Paulo C. A. Souza (1, 2) , Cleber O. Soares (1, 2) , Richard E. Paul (1, 3) , Allison M. Wahl (1, 4) , Dharmendar Rathore (1, 4) , Thomas F. Mccutchan (1, 4) , Antoniana U. Krettli (1)

1 Fiocruz Minas - René Rachou Research Center / Instituto René Rachou [Belo Horizonte, Brésil]
2 UFRRJ - Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro
3 Biochimie et Biologie Moléculaire des Insectes
4 NIAID-NIH - National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases [Bethesda]

Plasmodium (Novyella) juxtanucleare is a widely distributed parasite that primarily infects chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus). All species of Novyella are characterized by very small schizonts, which in the case of P. juxtanucleare are always found juxtaposed to the erythrocyte nucleus, hence its name. Nearly complete small-subunit ribosomal RNA sequences have been obtained from 2 isolates of this species, and comparisons with other Plasmodium species have been made. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that this parasite is closely related to other avian-infecting Plasmodium species and that molecular relationships among the avian-infecting plasmodia do not correspond to their morphology-based subgeneric classifications.

Domains: Emerging diseases

Jessica C. Kissinger, Paulo C. A. Souza, Cleber O. Soares, Richard E. Paul, Allison M. Wahl, et al.. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of the avian malarial parasite Plasmodium (Novyella) juxtanucleare. Journal of Parasitology, 2002, 88 (4), pp.769-773. ⟨10.1645/0022-3395(2002)088[0769:MPAOTA]2.0.CO;2⟩. ⟨pasteur-03661332⟩