Polychromophilus
| Polychromophilus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| (unranked): | Sar |
| (unranked): | Alveolata |
| Phylum: | Apicomplexa |
| Class: | Aconoidasida |
| Order: | Haemosporida |
| Family: | Plasmodiidae |
| Genus: | Polychromophilus |
| Species | |
|
Polychromophilus adami |
|
Polychromophilus adami
Polychromophilus corradetti
Polychromophilus deanei
Polychromophilus fulvida
Polychromophilus melanipherus
Polychromophilus murinus
Polychromophilus is a genus of alveolates that infects bats. Known vectors include species of Nycteribiid flies.
The type species Polychromophilus melanipherus was described by Dionisi in 1898.
The genus was divided into two sungenera - Polychromophilus and Bioccala but the subgenus Bioccala was raised to genus status in 1984.
Merogony occurs in the mesodermal cells of various organs before finally occurring in Kupffer cells of the liver and the reticuloendothelial cells of the lung. The meronts themselves are tiny.
Schizonts infect the lung tissues of the host. They are large and develop in a much hypertrophied host cell surrounded by a capsule and with complex granular nuclei in the older stages.
The gamonts are found in the erythrocytes.
Oocysts form on midgut of the vectors.
This genus along with Haemoproteus and appears to be a sister clade to Plasmodium. It seems have evolved from the avian/saurian clade of Plasmodium.
Infections with species of this genus are widespread among insectivorous bats (Microchiroptera) in Europe. Species in this genus have also been described in Africa, Australia, Pakistan, Thailand and the United States.
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Wikipedia