title: Parasitological and new molecular-phylogenetic characterization of the malaria parasite Plasmodium tejerai in South American penguins.
abstract: This study is the first report on mortality of Spheniscus magellanicus, penguin of South America, caused by Plasmodium tejerai, which was identified using morphological and molecular analyses. Blood stages (trophozoites, meronts and gametocytes) were reported and illustrated. The necropsy revealed marked splenomegaly and pulmonary edema, as well as moderate hepatomegaly and hydropericardium. The histopathology revealed the presence of tissue meronts in the macrophages and endothelial cells of multiple organs. The molecular analyses showed 5.6% of genetic divergence in cytochrome b gene between P. tejerai and Plasmodium relictum. Morphology of blood and tissue stages of P. tejerai is similar to P. relictum; the distinction between these two species requires experience in the identification of avian Plasmodium species. Molecular studies associated with reliably identified morphological species are useful for barcoding and comparisons with previous studies of wildlife malaria infections as well as for posterior phylogenetic and phylogeographic studies. S. magellanicus is a new host record of P. tejerai, which is the virulent parasite and worth more attention in avian conservation and veterinary medicine projects in South America.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Silveira
authors.forename: Nayara O
authors.initials: NO
authors.lastname: Belo
authors.forename: Gustavo A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Lacorte
authors.forename: Cristiane K M
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Kolesnikovas
authors.forename: Ralph E T
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Vanstreels
authors.forename: Mário
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Steindel
authors.forename: José Luiz
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Catão-Dias
authors.forename: Gediminas
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Valkiūnas
authors.forename: Erika M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Braga
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001938:Brazil; D045303:Cytochromes b / Q000235:genetics; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000469:parasitology; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D008264:Macrophages / Q000469:parasitology; D008289:Malaria, Avian / Q000097:blood / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D018512:Parasitemia; D010802:Phylogeny; D010961:Plasmodium / Q000145:classification / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013045:Species Specificity; D046429:Spheniscidae / Q000469:parasitology*
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D045303:Cytochromes b