A MOLECULAR PHYLOGENY OF MALARIAL PARASITES RECOVERED FROM CYTOCHROME b GENE SEQUENCES

摘要: A phylogeny of haemosporidian parasites (phylum Apicomplexa, family Plasmodiidae) was recovered using mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequences from 52 species in 4 genera (Plasmodium, Hepatocystis, Haemoproteus, and Leucocytozoon), including parasite infecting mammals, birds, reptiles over a wide geographic range. Leucocytozoon emerged as an appropriate out-group for the other malarial parasites. Both parsimony maximum-likelihood analyses produced similar phylogenetic trees. Life-history traits morphology, traditionally used taxonomic characters, are largely phylogenetically uninformative. The Plasmodium Hepatocystis mammalian hosts form 1 well-supported clade, Haemoproteus birds lizards second. Within this second relationships between taxa more complex. Although jackknife support is weak, may clade another but fall into several clusters, suggesting ancient complex evolutionary history. currently placed within genus not be monophyletic. falciparum humans derived avian ancestor and, except its close sister species, P. reichenowi, only distantly related to haemospordian all mammals. paraphyletic with respect 2 parasites, Hepatocystis. Explicit hypothesis testing supported these conclusions.