Coccidia (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) of Three-toed Box Turtles, Terrapene carolina triunguis (Reptilia: Testudines), from Arkansas and Oklahoma

We collected 50 three-toed box turtles (Terrapene carolina triunguis) from 9 counties of Arkansas and 4 counties of Oklahoma, and examined their feces for coccidial parasites. Nine of 24 (38%) turtles from Arkansas and 8 of 26 (31%) from Oklahoma were found to be passing oocysts of Eimeria ornata. This represents two new geographic distributional records for this coccidian. Measurements of individual isolates of E. ornate as well as morphological characteristics are provided with comparison to its original description and to another Terrapene coccidian, Eimeria carri. In addition, we noted an adelid pseudoparasite being passed by a single T. c. triunguis from Oklahoma that likely represents a parasite of arthropods

Parasites of the Spotted Sucker, Minytrema melanops (Cypriniformes: Catostomidae) from Arkansas and Oklahoma

During October 2015, March and April 2016 and again between March and April 2017, 15 Spotted Sucker (Minytrema melanops) were collected from sites in the Ouachita (n = 5), Red (n = 1), and St. Francis (n = 5) river drainages, Arkansas, and the Arkansas River drainage, Oklahoma (n = 4), and examined for protozoan and metazoan parasites. Found were Calyptospora sp., Myxobolus sp., Pseudomurraytrema alabarrum, Biacetabulum banghami, Penarchigetes oklensis, and Acanthocephalus sp. New host and distributional records are documented for these parasites

Shikimate pathway in apicomplexan parasites

No abstract available

Construction of a Plasmodium falciparum Rab-interactome identifies CK1 and PKA as Rab-effector kinases in malaria parasites

Background information The pathology causing stages of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum reside within red blood cells that are devoid of any regulated transport system. The parasite, therefore, is entirely responsible for mediating vesicular transport within itself and in the infected erythrocyte cytoplasm, and it does so in part via its family of 11 Rab GTPases. Putative functions have been ascribed to Plasmodium Rabs due to their homology with Rabs of yeast, particularly with Saccharomyces that has an equivalent number of rab/ypt genes and where analyses of Ypt function is well characterized. Results Rabs are important regulators of vesicular traffic due to their capacity to recruit specific effectors. In order to identify P. falciparum Rab (PfRab) effectors, we first built a Ypt-interactome by exploiting genetic and physical binding data available at the Saccharomyces genome database (SGD). We then constructed a PfRab-interactome using putative parasite Rab-effectors identified by homology to Ypt-effectors. We demonstrate its potential by wet-bench testing three predictions; that casein kinase-1 (PfCK1) is a specific Rab5B interacting protein and that the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PfPKA-C) is a PfRab5A and PfRab7 effector. Conclusions The establishment of a shared set of physical Ypt/PfRab-effector proteins sheds light on a core set Plasmodium Rab-interactants shared with yeast. The PfRab-interactome should benefit vesicular trafficking studies in malaria parasites. The recruitment of PfCK1 to PfRab5B+ and PfPKA-C to PfRab5A+ and PfRab7+ vesicles, respectively, suggests that PfRab-recruited kinases potentially play a role in early and late endosome function in malaria parasites

Protein trafficking through the endosomal system prepares intracellular parasites for a home invasion

Toxoplasma (toxoplasmosis) and Plasmodium (malaria) use unique secretory organelles for migration, cell invasion, manipulation of host cell functions, and cell egress. In particular, the apical secretory micronemes and rhoptries of apicomplexan parasites are essential for successful host infection. New findings reveal that the contents of these organelles, which are transported through the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi, also require the parasite endosome-like system to access their respective organelles. In this review, we discuss recent findings that demonstrate that these parasites reduced their endosomal system and modified classical regulators of this pathway for the biogenesis of apical organelles

Goussia trichogasteri n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Eimenidae) infecting the aquarium-cultured golden gourami Trichogaster trichopterus trichopterus

Goussia trichogasteri n. sp. is described from the gut of the aquarium fish Trichogaster trichopterus trichopterus. Gamogonic stages develop epicellularly in the gut epithelium. Oocysts are shed in early stage of sporulation. Sporulated oocysts are characterised by having centrally locating oocyst residua. The whole development of the species takes place in the aquarium

Life history of Monocystis parasites and genetic diversity of their hosts, the invasive Amynthas earthworms

Monocystis is a parasites in the phylum Apicomplexa that infects nearly 100% of earthworms; however, the parasites have low survivorship, low production of transmissible gametocysts, and seemingly lack schizogony. The purpose of this study was to investigate the improbable lifecycle and life history traits of a Monocystis species of the invasive Asian earthworms, Amynthas agrestis and A. tokioensis in Vermont. Preliminary data suggested that Monocystis sp. vary in life history traits between three sites sampled; therefore, it was necessary to investigate the genetic diversity and the mating system of its host, as the mating system is responsible for genetic variation. Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers revealed genetic variation within and among sites of both Amynthas spp. which appear to employ a mixed-mating system of both sexual and asexual reproduction demonstrated by the presence of both clonal and unique genotypes. The life history and life cycle of Monocystis sp. in A. agrestis was described by using microscopy to measure phenology and parasite stages and numbers. Amynthas spp. at Audubon had a shorter season and the parasites produced gametocysts earlier than at the other two sites. The parasite success rate at Audubon, Hort Farm, and Centennial Woods were 113.8%, 73.6%, and 0%, repectively. Audubon worms had higher numbers of gametocyts but a lower mean number of sporocysts per gametocyst (127.0) than did hosts at Hort Farm (145.8). Monocystis sp. has different life history traits and schedules to compensate for the length of the season and the genetic variation of its host

An evolutionary perspective on the kinome of malaria parasites

Malaria parasites belong to an ancient lineage that diverged very early from the main branch of eukaryotes. The approximately 90-member plasmodial kinome includes a majority of eukaryotic protein kinases that clearly cluster within the AGC, CMGC, TKL, CaMK and CK1 groups found in yeast, plants and mammals, testifying to the ancient ancestry of these families. However, several hundred millions years of independent evolution, and the specific pressures brought about by first a photosynthetic and then a parasitic lifestyle, led to the emergence of unique features in the plasmodial kinome. These include taxon-restricted kinase families, and unique peculiarities of individual enzymes even when they have homologues in other eukaryotes. Here, we merge essential aspects of all three malaria-related communications that were presented at the Evolution of Protein Phosphorylation meeting, and propose an integrated discussion of the specific features of the parasite's kinome and phosphoproteome