Rodent malaria in Gabon: Diversity and host range
Malaria parasites infect a wide range of vertebrate hosts, such as reptiles, birds and mammals (i.e., primates, ungulates, bats, and rodents). Four Plasmodium species and their subspecies infect African Muridae. Since their discoveries in the 1940s, these rodent Plasmodium species have served as bio...
Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Elsevier
2019-12-01
|
Series: | International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife |
Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224419300574 |
id |
doaj-56eb94c734314142bb644fcca546e323 |
---|---|
record_format |
Article |
spelling |
doaj-56eb94c734314142bb644fcca546e3232020-11-25T01:17:07ZengElsevierInternational Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife2213-22442019-12-0110117124Rodent malaria in Gabon: Diversity and host rangeLarson Boundenga0Barthélemy Ngoubangoye1Stephan Ntie2Nancy-Diamella Moukodoum3François Renaud4Virginie Rougeron5Franck Prugnolle6Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville (CIRMF), BP. 769, Franceville, Gabon; Corresponding author.Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville (CIRMF), BP. 769, Franceville, GabonLaboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (LABMC), Département de Biologie, Université de Sciences et Techniques de Masuku (USTM), BP 941, Franceville, GabonCentre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville (CIRMF), BP. 769, Franceville, GabonLaboratory MIVEGEC, UMR 224-5290, IRD, CNRS, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, FranceLaboratory MIVEGEC, UMR 224-5290, IRD, CNRS, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, FranceLaboratory MIVEGEC, UMR 224-5290, IRD, CNRS, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, FranceMalaria parasites infect a wide range of vertebrate hosts, such as reptiles, birds and mammals (i.e., primates, ungulates, bats, and rodents). Four Plasmodium species and their subspecies infect African Muridae. Since their discoveries in the 1940s, these rodent Plasmodium species have served as biological models to explore many aspects of the biology of malaria agents and their interactions with their hosts. Despite that, surprisingly, little is known about their ecology, natural history and evolution. Most field studies on these parasites, performed from the 1940s to the early 1980s, showed that all rodent Plasmodium species infect only one main host species, the thicket rat. In the present study, we re-explored the diversity of Plasmodium parasites infecting rodent species living in peridomestic habitats in Gabon, Central Africa. Using molecular approaches, we found that at least two Plasmodium species (Plasmodium vinckei and Plasmodium yoelii) circulated among five rodent species (including the invasive species Mus musculus). This suggests that the host range of these parasites might be larger than previously considered. Our results also showed that the diversity of these parasites could be higher than currently recognized, with the discovery of a new phylogenetic lineage that could represent a new species of rodent Plasmodium. Keywords: Rodent, Malaria, Plasmodium, Central Africa, Mus musculus, Host rangehttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224419300574 |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Larson Boundenga Barthélemy Ngoubangoye Stephan Ntie Nancy-Diamella Moukodoum François Renaud Virginie Rougeron Franck Prugnolle |
spellingShingle |
Larson Boundenga Barthélemy Ngoubangoye Stephan Ntie Nancy-Diamella Moukodoum François Renaud Virginie Rougeron Franck Prugnolle Rodent malaria in Gabon: Diversity and host range International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife |
author_facet |
Larson Boundenga Barthélemy Ngoubangoye Stephan Ntie Nancy-Diamella Moukodoum François Renaud Virginie Rougeron Franck Prugnolle |
author_sort |
Larson Boundenga |
title |
Rodent malaria in Gabon: Diversity and host range |
title_short |
Rodent malaria in Gabon: Diversity and host range |
title_full |
Rodent malaria in Gabon: Diversity and host range |
title_fullStr |
Rodent malaria in Gabon: Diversity and host range |
title_full_unstemmed |
Rodent malaria in Gabon: Diversity and host range |
title_sort |
rodent malaria in gabon: diversity and host range |
publisher |
Elsevier |
series |
International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife |
issn |
2213-2244 |
publishDate |
2019-12-01 |
description |
Malaria parasites infect a wide range of vertebrate hosts, such as reptiles, birds and mammals (i.e., primates, ungulates, bats, and rodents). Four Plasmodium species and their subspecies infect African Muridae. Since their discoveries in the 1940s, these rodent Plasmodium species have served as biological models to explore many aspects of the biology of malaria agents and their interactions with their hosts. Despite that, surprisingly, little is known about their ecology, natural history and evolution. Most field studies on these parasites, performed from the 1940s to the early 1980s, showed that all rodent Plasmodium species infect only one main host species, the thicket rat. In the present study, we re-explored the diversity of Plasmodium parasites infecting rodent species living in peridomestic habitats in Gabon, Central Africa. Using molecular approaches, we found that at least two Plasmodium species (Plasmodium vinckei and Plasmodium yoelii) circulated among five rodent species (including the invasive species Mus musculus). This suggests that the host range of these parasites might be larger than previously considered. Our results also showed that the diversity of these parasites could be higher than currently recognized, with the discovery of a new phylogenetic lineage that could represent a new species of rodent Plasmodium. Keywords: Rodent, Malaria, Plasmodium, Central Africa, Mus musculus, Host range |
url |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224419300574 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT larsonboundenga rodentmalariaingabondiversityandhostrange AT barthelemyngoubangoye rodentmalariaingabondiversityandhostrange AT stephanntie rodentmalariaingabondiversityandhostrange AT nancydiamellamoukodoum rodentmalariaingabondiversityandhostrange AT francoisrenaud rodentmalariaingabondiversityandhostrange AT virginierougeron rodentmalariaingabondiversityandhostrange AT franckprugnolle rodentmalariaingabondiversityandhostrange |
_version_ |
1725148128945897472 |