Plasmodium hermani explained

Plasmodium hermani is a parasite of the genus Plasmodium subgenus Huffia. As in all Plasmodium species, P. hermani has both vertebrate and insect hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are birds.

Description

This species was first described in 1975 by Telford and Forrester in a wild turkey.^[1]

Geographical occurrence

This species is found in Florida, USA.

Vectors

• Culex nigripalpus^[2]
• Culex restuans
• Culex salinarius^[3]
• Wyeomyia vanduzeei

Note: Cx. nigripalpus appears to be the main natural vector.

Clinical features and host pathology

This species infects knots (Calidris canutus), bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) and turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo).

Infection of turkeys causes anaemia, splenomegaly and decreased growth but is not normally fatal.

Notes and References

1. Telford S.R., Jr. and Forrester D.J. (1975) Plasmodium (Huffia) hermani sp. n. from wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) in Florida. J. Euk. Microbiol. 22 (3) 324-328
2. Forrester DJ, Nayar JK, Foster GW. (1980) Culex nigripalpus: a natural vector of wild turkey malaria (Plasmodium hermani) in Florida. J. Wildl. Dis. 16(3):391-394
3. Nayar JK, Young MD, Forrester DJ. (1981) Plasmodium hermani: experimental transmission by Culex salinarius and comparison with other susceptible florida mosquitoes. Exp. Parasitol. 51(3):431-437