Kingdom Protista | Order Haemosporida Rank Species | |
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Plasmodium balli is a parasite of the genus Plasmodium.
Contents
Like all Plasmodium species it has vertebrate and insect hosts. The vertebrate hosts are lizards: the insect vector is not yet known.
Description
Plasmodium balli was first described in 1969 by Telford.
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 gametocytes are large and elongated. Hypertrophy, distortion and lysis of host cell nuclei may result from parasitization of immature blood cells by this stage.
The schizonts produced up to 100 merozoites.
Geographic occurrence
This parasite is found in the Caribbean and Central America.
Clinical features and host pathology
Host record:
Anolis lizards - Anolis limifrons, Anolis lionotus and Anolis poecilopus