Morphological and molecular characterization of Karyolysus ¿ a neglected but common parasite infecting some European lizards

Abstract

Background: Blood parasites of the genus Karyolysus Labbé, 1894 (Apicomplexa: Adeleida: Karyolysidae) represent the protozoan haemogregarines found in various genera of lizards, including Lacerta, Podarcis, Darevskia (Lacertidae) and Mabouia (Scincidae). The vectors of parasites are gamasid mites from the genus Ophionyssus. Methods: A total of 557 individuals of lacertid lizards were captured in four different localities in Europe (Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia) and blood was collected. Samples were examined using both microscopic and molecular methods, and phylogenetic relationships of all isolates of Karyolysus sp. were assessed for the first time. Karyolysus sp. 18S rRNA isolates were evaluated using Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood analyses.

Haemogregarine Genetic Diversity in Captive African Rock Pythons from Nigeria Suggests a Geographical Pattern

“…Haemogregarines have been previously reported in two python species (14,(22)(23)(24)(25) and other snakes from Africa (9,24,26,27). For snakes of tropical Africa, prevalence appears to increase in captivity, with values of 47.6% (in the present study) and 78.2% in imported snakes from Ghana (22).…”

“…Rosado et al (25) screened the samples of Python sebae from Mauritania, Senegal, and Mali and detected a distinct haemogregarine haplotype and Haklová-Kočíková et al (24) sampled pythons (Python natalensis and P. regius) from Swaziland and found one to be infected. Unfortunately, the region of the 18S rRNA analyzed in this study did not overlap with the sequence retrieved by Haklová-Kočíková et al (24), and, thus, it was not included in the present phylogenetic analysis. However, Haklova's haplotype belongs to the same clade of haemogregarine as that in our study and that of others identified from pythons.…”

Systematic revision of the adeleid haemogregarines, with creation ofBartazoonn. g., reassignment ofHepatozoon argantisGarnham, 1954 toHemolivia, and molecular data onHemolivia stellata

“… Podarcis bocagei & hispanica Host blood Portugal KJ461939 Karyolysus sp. Podarcis muralis Host blood Slovakia [ 24 ] KJ461940 Karyolysus sp. Lacerta agilis Host blood Poland KJ461941 Karyolysus sp.…”

Haemoprotozoa: Making biological sense of molecular phylogenies

“…Molecular phylogenetic studies using ssurRNA gene sequences revealed any associations between haemogregarines and their vertebrate hosts to be paraphyletic with many mixed clades associated with parasites in snakes, lizards, amphibians and mammals (cf. Wicks et al., 2006 , Cook et al., 2014 , Haklova-Kocikova et al., 2014 ). Detailed analyses revealed five major clades ( Kvicerova et al., 2014 ): two Hepatozoon clades (clade A associated with carnivores and clade C with reptiles and frogs) separated by an intermediary Hemolivia clade in lizards, and two distant clades, one containing Haemogregarina species from tortoises and the other containing Dactylosoma/Babesiosoma species from fish and frogs.…”