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dc.contributor.authorCook, Courtney A.
dc.contributor.authorLawton, Scott P.
dc.contributor.authorDavies, Angela J.
dc.contributor.authorSmit, Nico J.
dc.date.accessioned2016-11-28T07:04:41Z
dc.date.available2016-11-28T07:04:41Z
dc.date.issued2014
dc.identifier.citationCook, C.A. et al. 2014. Reassignment of the land tortoise haemogregarine Haemogregarina fitzsimonsi Dias 1953 (Adeleorina: Haemogregarinidae) to the genus Hepatozoon Miller 1908 (Adeleorina: Hepatozoidae) based on parasite morphology, life cycle and phylogenetic analysis of 18S rDNA sequence fragments. Parasitology, 141(12):1322-1332. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S003118201400081X]en_US
dc.identifier.issn0031-1820
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10394/19540
dc.identifier.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S003118201400081X
dc.description.abstractResearch was undertaken to clarify the true taxonomic position of the terrestrial tortoise apicomplexan, Haemogregarina fitzsimonsi (Dias, 1953). Thin blood films were screened from 275 wild and captive South African tortoises of 6 genera and 10 species between 2009–2011. Apicomplexan parasites within films were identified, with a focus on H. fitzsimonsi. Ticks from wild tortoises, especially Amblyomma sylvaticum and Amblyomma marmoreum were also screened, and sporogonic stages were identified on dissection of adult ticks of both species taken from H. fitzsimonsi infected and apparently non-infected tortoises. Parasite DNA was extracted from fixed, Giemsa-stained tortoise blood films and from both fresh and fixed ticks, and PCR was undertaken with two primer sets, HEMO1/HEMO2, and HepF300/HepR900, to amplify parasite 18S rDNA. Results indicated that apicomplexan DNA extracted from tortoise blood films and both species of tick had been amplified by one or both primer sets. Haemogregarina fitzsimonsi 18S rDNA sequences from tortoise blood aligned with those of species of Hepatozoon, rather than those of species of Haemogregarina or Hemolivia. It is recommended therefore that this haemogregarine be re-assigned to the genus Hepatozoon, making Hepatozoon fitzsimonsi (Dias, 1953) the only Hepatozoon known currently from any terrestrial chelonian. Ticks are its likely vectors.en_US
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherCambridge University Pressen_US
dc.subjectTerrestrial chelonianen_US
dc.subjecttick-vectoren_US
dc.subjectherpetological haematozoan taxonomyen_US
dc.subjectreptile apicomplexan phylogenyen_US
dc.subjectAmblyommaen_US
dc.titleReassignment of the land tortoise haemogregarine Haemogregarina fitzsimonsi Dias 1953 (Adeleorina: Haemogregarinidae) to the genus Hepatozoon Miller 1908 (Adeleorina: Hepatozoidae) based on parasite morphology, life cycle and phylogenetic analysis of 18S rDNA sequence fragmentsen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
dc.contributor.researchID24492272 - Cook, Courtney Antonia


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