Abdel-Azeem S Abdel-Baki1, Heba M Abdel-Haleem2, Heba Abdel-Tawab2, Saleh Al-Quraishy3, Lamjed Mansour3,4. 1. Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt. azema1@yahoo.com. 2. Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt. 3. Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia. 4. Laboratory of Biodiversity and Parasitology of Aquatic Ecosystems (LR18ES05), Department of Biology, Faculty of Science of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, University Campus, 2092, Tunis, Tunisia.
Abstract
PURPOSE: To date, two haemogregarines have been described from the white-spotted wall gecko, Tarentola annularis in Egypt. These species are Haemogregarina annularis and Haemogregarina tarentannulari. Although these two species initially were described as different species parasitizing T. annularis, both forms look identical due to their similar morphology and morphometric characteristics from the same host species. Here we will clarify, using traditional morphological description of the blood and tissue stages, combined with molecular analysis, the identity of the haemoparasites infecting T. annularis in Egypt. METHODS: Thin blood smears were screened from 50 gecko, Tarentola annularis and merognic stages were identified in the lung of the infected geckos. Parasite DNA was extracted and PCR was carried out to amplify parasite 18S rDNA. RESULTS: Morphological criteria of parasite stages, mature gamont stages and mergonic stages were similar to the two previously reported Haemogregarina species. In the phylogenetic tree, the present haemogregarine fell within a clade comprising most of Hepatozoon species infecting reptiles. CONCLUSION: Our morphological comparison supported that the two previously described Haemogregarina species were the same and allowed us to consider Haemogregarina tarentannulari as a junior synonym of Haemogregarina annularis. Our phylogenetic analysis gave us the opportunity to reassign Haemogregarina annularis to the genus Hepatozoon and being identified as Hepatozoon annularis n. comb.
PURPOSE: To date, two haemogregarines have been described from the white-spotted wall gecko, Tarentola annularis in Egypt. These species are Haemogregarina annularis and Haemogregarina tarentannulari. Although these two species initially were described as different species parasitizing T. annularis, both forms look identical due to their similar morphology and morphometric characteristics from the same host species. Here we will clarify, using traditional morphological description of the blood and tissue stages, combined with molecular analysis, the identity of the haemoparasites infecting T. annularis in Egypt. METHODS: Thin blood smears were screened from 50 gecko, Tarentola annularis and merognic stages were identified in the lung of the infected geckos. Parasite DNA was extracted and PCR was carried out to amplify parasite 18S rDNA. RESULTS: Morphological criteria of parasite stages, mature gamont stages and mergonic stages were similar to the two previously reported Haemogregarina species. In the phylogenetic tree, the present haemogregarine fell within a clade comprising most of Hepatozoon species infecting reptiles. CONCLUSION: Our morphological comparison supported that the two previously described Haemogregarina species were the same and allowed us to consider Haemogregarina tarentannulari as a junior synonym of Haemogregarina annularis. Our phylogenetic analysis gave us the opportunity to reassign Haemogregarina annularis to the genus Hepatozoon and being identified as Hepatozoon annularis n. comb.
Authors: Beatriz Tomé; João P Maia; Daniele Salvi; José C Brito; Miguel A Carretero; Ana Perera; Harald Meimberg; David James Harris Journal: Syst Parasitol Date: 2014-02-23 Impact factor: 1.431
Authors: Kareem Morsy; Abdel Rahman Bashtar; Fathy Abdel Ghaffar; Saleh Al Quraishy; Salam Al Hashimi; Ali Al Ghamdi; Mohammed Shazly Journal: Parasitol Res Date: 2013-04-26 Impact factor: 2.289