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Leucocytozoon atkinsoni n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Leucocytozoidae) from the avian family Timaliidae

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Abstract

Investigators of haematozoa of the Timaliidae have reported the presence of two species of Leucocytozoon Berestneff, 1904, i.e. L. liothricis Laveran & Marullaz, 1914 and L. timaliae Bennett, Earlé & Pierce, 1993. Blood films collected from 42 wild-caught babblers in Madagascar were stained and examined for the presence of haematozoa using a compound microscope. To date, no species of avian haematozoa have been reported from babblers in Madagascar, although haematozoa have been observed. In the present study, we report a new species of Leucocytozoon, L. atkinsoni n. sp., whose morphometrics fall between those reported for the two previously described species from timaliids. The parasite is capped by the host cell nucleus covering 38% of its perimeter. L. atkinsoni n. sp. was found to have a marked, intensely staining, nucleolus as well as vacuoles in the parasite cytoplasm, in contrast to both L. liothricis and L. timaliae. Remnants of the host cell cytoplasm are commonly observed in cells infected with L. atkinsoni, a characteristic not reported in association with either of the previously described species from these hosts.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to gratefully acknowledge Dr␣Steven M. Goodman of the Field Museum of Natural History, as well as Dr David E. Willard for the collection of samples in the field. Additionally, Dr Vincent Robert and the Institut de Pasteur de Madagascar are gratefully acknowledged for their continued assistance and partnership. Finally, the authors thank Dr Carter Atkinson for providing workspace.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Box 110880, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, USA

    Amy F. Savage & Ellis C. Greiner

  2. Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, School of Medicine, Yale University, 60 College Street, New Haven, Connecticut, 06520, USA

    Amy F. Savage

  3. Groupe de Recherche sur le Paludisme, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, BP 1274, Antananarivo, 101, Madagascar

    Frederic Ariey

Authors
  1. Amy F. Savage
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  2. Frederic Ariey
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  3. Ellis C. Greiner
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Correspondence to Amy F. Savage.

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Savage, A.F., Ariey, F. & Greiner, E.C. Leucocytozoon atkinsoni n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Leucocytozoidae) from the avian family Timaliidae. Syst Parasitol 64, 105–109 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11230-005-9023-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11230-005-9023-5

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