en Plasmodium polare

Plasmodium polare is a parasite of the genus Plasmodium subgenus Papernaia.

Like all Plasmodium species P. polare has both vertebrate and insect hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are birds.

Description

The parasite was first described by Manwell in 1934.^[1]

It is relatively small and produces on the average nine merozoites per infection. It has abundant cytoplasm.

This parasite occurs in the United States.

Hosts of this species include the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus),^[2] the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica), yellow wagtails (Motacilla flava)^[3] and American cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota).

It is related to the following species:

^ Manwell (1934) The Anatomical Record 60(4): 1 - 101
^ Greiner, Ellis; Black, David; Iverson, Wiliam (October 4, 1981). "Plasmodium in a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in Florida". Journal of Wildlife Diseases. 17 (4): 555–558. doi:10.7589/0090-3558-17.4.555. PMID 7338979. S2CID 11385722. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
^ Valkiunas G, Iezhova TA. (2001) A comparison of the blood parasites in three subspecies of the yellow wagtail Motacilla flava. J. Parasitol. 87(4):930-934.