Plasmodium mexicanum

Plasmodium mexicanum
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
(unranked):	Diaphoretickes
Clade:	SAR
Infrakingdom:	Alveolata
Phylum:	Apicomplexa
Class:	Aconoidasida
Order:	Haemospororida
Family:	Plasmodiidae
Genus:	Plasmodium
Species:	P. mexicanum
Binomial name
	Plasmodium mexicanum; Thompson and Huff, 1944

Plasmodium mexicanum is a parasite of the genus Plasmodium subgenus Paraplasmodium.

Like all Plasmodium species P. mexicanum has both vertebrate and insect hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are reptiles.

Taxonomy[]

The parasite was first described by Thompson and Huff in 1944.^[1]

This parasite is found in Arizona, United States.

This parasite infects the , , , western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis), , Sceloporus variabilis, and the tree lizard (Urosaurus ornatus).^[2]

This species is unusual in being able to undergo normal sporogony in psychodid flies ( and ).

^ Thompson P.E. and Huff C.G. (1944) Saurian malaria parasites of the United States and Mexico. J. Inf. Dis. 74:68–79.
^ French S.S., Fokidis H.B., Moore M.C. 2008. Variation in stress and innate immunity in the tree lizard (Urosaurus ornatus) across an urban-rural gradient. J Comp Physiol [B].

Moltz, Victoria; Lewis, William; Vardo-Zalik, Anne (October 2014). "Leukocyte Profiles for Western Fence Lizards, Sceloporus occidentalis, Naturally Infected by the Malaria Parasite Plasmodium mexicanum". Journal of Parasitology. 100 (5): 592–597. doi:10.1645/13-371.1. PMID 24945903.

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