Chang Yen-Chi, Lin Tai-Shen, Huang Wei-Wen, Lee Hung-Yi, Shih Cheng-Hsin, Wu Ying-Chen, Huang Chiu-Chen, Chen Ter-Hsin
Graduate Institute of Veterinary Pathobiology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan.
Department of Post-Baccalaureate Veterinary Medicine, Asia University, Taichung 41354, Taiwan.
Microorganisms. 2023 Sep 22;11(10):2374. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms11102374.
Hemoprotozoa are microorganisms that parasitize the blood and possess intricate life cycles. Despite the complexity of their nature, little is known about the biology of hemoprotozoa in reptilian hosts. In this study, we conducted disease surveillance on blood samples collected from six black spiny-tailed iguanas () exhibiting clinical signs. We found two different types of hemoparasites in the blood films and further confirmed they belong to the genera and through molecular methods. In the tissue section from a dead iguana infected only with sp., parasites were also found in melanomacrophages of the liver and kidney. Since sp. infection has not been reported in , we propose this hemococcidian as a new species, n. sp. The parasites discovered in this study were classified as based on their morphological characteristics, particularly the notable deformation of all infected erythrocytes, and this classification was further corroborated through molecular biological and phylogenetic analyses. This is the first hemoprotozoa investigation in with pathological and molecular characterization of these pathogens. We suggest that more studies are needed to understand the epidemiology, transmission, and impact of these parasites on their hosts and ecosystems.
血原虫是寄生于血液且具有复杂生命周期的微生物。尽管其本质复杂，但关于血原虫在爬行动物宿主中的生物学特性却知之甚少。在本研究中，我们对从六只出现临床症状的黑刺尾鬣蜥采集的血液样本进行了疾病监测。我们在血涂片上发现了两种不同类型的血液寄生虫，并通过分子方法进一步证实它们分别属于 和 属。在一只仅感染 sp. 的死亡鬣蜥的组织切片中，在肝脏和肾脏的黑色素巨噬细胞中也发现了寄生虫。由于 sp. 感染在 中尚未见报道，我们将这种血球菌提议为一个新物种，即 n. sp.。本研究中发现的 寄生虫根据其形态特征，特别是所有受感染红细胞的显著变形，被归类为 ，并且通过分子生物学和系统发育分析进一步证实了这一分类。这是首次对 进行血原虫调查，并对这些病原体进行病理学和分子特征分析。我们建议需要更多研究来了解这些寄生虫的流行病学、传播方式以及它们对宿主和生态系统的影响。
