Plasmodium sasai is a parasite of the genus Plasmodium subgenus Sauramoeba.
Like all Plasmodium species P. sasai has both vertebrate and insect hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are reptiles.
The parasite was first described by Telford and Ball in 1969 in the lacertid Takydromus tachydromoides.
This species is found in Japan and Thailand.
The vertebrate hosts for this species are lizards of the genus Takydromus. The insect vector is not yet known.
Infection of Takydromus tachydromoides is commonw with 90% adults infected. Infection occurs early in life with 80%+ infected within the first few weeks of hatching.[1]
Telford Jr.. S.R.. Interpopulation variation of a saurian malaria, Plasmodium sasai telford & ball, 1969, in three host species distributed within a range of 24° north latitude. International Journal for Parasitology. February 1982. 12. 1. 17–22. 10.1016/0020-7519(82)90089-3.
Telford. Sam R.. The development and persistence of phanerozoites in experimental infections of Plasmodium sasai. International Journal for Parasitology. March 1998. 28. 3. 475–84. 10.1016/S0020-7519(97)00201-4. 9559365.