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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

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

COURTNEY A. COOK Open the ORCID record for COURTNEY A. COOK [Opens in a new window] ,
SCOTT P. LAWTON ,
ANGELA J. DAVIES  and
NICO J. SMIT
COURTNEY A. COOK*
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, P.O. Box 524, Auckland Park, 2006, Johannesburg, South Africa Water Research Group (Ecology), Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North West University, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa
SCOTT P. LAWTON
Affiliation:
School of Life Sciences, Kingston University, London KT1 2EE, UK
ANGELA J. DAVIES
Affiliation:
Water Research Group (Ecology), Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North West University, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa School of Life Sciences, Kingston University, London KT1 2EE, UK
NICO J. SMIT
Affiliation:
Water Research Group (Ecology), Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North West University, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa
*
*Corresponding author: Water Research Group (Ecology), Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa. E-mail: apicomplexan@yahoo.co.za
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Summary

Research 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.

Keywords

terrestrial cheloniantick-vectorherpetological haematozoan taxonomyreptile apicomplexan phylogenyAmblyomma

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 141 , Issue 12 , October 2014 , pp. 1611 - 1620
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Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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