Table 1.
Comparative table of characters of uninfected host cells, Fallisia modesta from Lainson et al. (1974), Plasmodium tropiduri tropiduri from this study and from Telford (2009), Plasmodium ouropretensis from this study and thrombocytic parasites from Scorza (1971), and the host cells these parasites infect
| Fallisia modesta from Brazil | P. t. tropiduri from Venezuela | P. tropiduri from Venezuela | P. t. tropiduri | P. ouropretensis | Wilcoxon test of P. t. tropiduri vs P. ouropretensis from this study | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parasites | Lainson et al. (1974) | Telford (2009) | Scorza (1971) | This study | w value – P value (significance level of p < 0.05) | |
| Host cell | Lymphocytes and thrombocytes | Erythrocytes | Thrombocytes | Erythrocytes | Thrombocytes and lymphocyte-like cell | |
| Uninfected host cell | n = 10 | n = 10 | ||||
| Length | 14.7–19 (16.54 ± 1.12) | 6.13–12–6 (9.28 ± 2.04) | ||||
| Width | 8.7–11 (9.82 ± 0.78) | 4.3–9.34 (6.33 ± 2) | ||||
| Nucleus length | 6.1–8.2 (7.5 ± 0.64) | 4.47–9.78 (7.19 ± 1.65) | ||||
| Nucleus width | 4.1–5.1 (4.56–0.32) | 4.3–9.1 (5.78 ± 1.81) | ||||
| Meronts | n = 64 | n = 10 | n = 15 | |||
| Number of merozoites | 12–24 (16) | 4–24 (13.4 ± 4.7) | 10–26 | 10–25 (15.4 ± 4.45) | 3–36 (14.46 ± 11) | 91–0.3889 |
| Length | 5–9 (5.5) | 3–12 (7.2 ± 1.8) | 4 | 5.6–10.6 (7.5 ± 0.7) | 6–10.5 (7.94 ± 1.29) | 61–0.4611 |
| Width | 5–7.5 | 3–7 (5 ± 1.1) | 2 | 3.7–5.8 (4.9 ± 0.7) | 3.3–7.3 (5.17 ± 1.2) | 66–0.6433 |
| Length of infected host cell | 15–20 (17 ± 1.22) | 10–14.6 (12.2 ± 1.6) | ||||
| Width of infected host cell | 8–11.2 (10.3 ± 0.9) | 7.6–12.6 (9.20 ± 1.5) | ||||
| Length of infected host cell nucleus | 5.7–9 (7.66 ± 1) | 7.8–13 (9.04 ± 1.48) | ||||
| Width of infected host cell nucleus | 4.8–6.3 (5.23 ± 0.54) | 3.3–7.3 (5.86 ± 1.09) | ||||
| Relative size to uninfected host cell nucleus | 0.33–2.51 (1.40 ± 0.53) | 0.8–1–32 (1 ± 0.13) | 0.3–3 (1.2 ± 0.8) | |||
| Relative size to infected host cell nucleus | 0.51–1.17 (1.17 ± 0.56) | 0.16–1.2 (0.92 ± 0.1) | 0.43–1.46 (0.83 ± 0.36) | |||
| Effect on host cell | Hypertrophy | Hypertrophy | None | Hypertrophy | ||
| Gametocytes | n = 132 | n = 17 | n = 7 | |||
| Length | 6–8.5 (7.25) | 5–14 (7.9 ± 1.5) | 7–10 | 6.4–10.3 (7.7 ± 0.9) | 3.2–7.1 (6.29 ± 1.22) | 95–0.02 |
| Width | 5.5–6 (5.5) | 4–8 (5.6 ± 1) | 6–8 | 4.4–6.8 (5.07 ± 0.83) | 1.98–6.08 (4.35 ± 1.37) | 72–0.4551 |
| Length of infected host cell | 15–19 (17.3 ± 1.24) | 9.6–12.4 (11.27 ± 1.05) | ||||
| Width of infected host cell | 8.3–10.8 (9.4 ± 0.8) | 4.6–9.9 (7.58 ± 1.73) | ||||
| Length of infected host cell nucleus | 3.5–5.1 (7.13 ± 0.8) | 5.5–8.7 (7.40–1.12) | ||||
| Width of infected host cell nucleus | 3.8–5.1 (4.1 ± 0.45) | 4.5–7 (5.63 ± 0.85) | ||||
| Relative size to uninfected host cell nucleus | 0.73–2.54 (1.58 ± 0.37) | 0.8–1.7 (1.12 ± 0.27) | 0.33–1 (0.62 ± 0.23) | |||
| Relative size to infected host cell nucleus | 0.70–2.92 (1.51 ± 0.46) | 0.61–1.63 (0.98 ± 0.2) | 0.25–1.04 (0.67 ± 0.27) | |||
| Effect on host cell | Indentednucleus | Hypertrophy | Nucleuscompression | None | ||
| Micro | n = 7 | |||||
| Pigment number | 12–16 (14.1 ± 1.67) | |||||
| n = 40 | ||||||
| Pigment diameter | 0.43–0.82 (0.67 ± 0.09) | |||||
| Macro | n = 10 | |||||
| Pigment number | 13–22 (16.5 ± 3.6) | |||||
| n = 42 | ||||||
| Pigment diameter | 0.52–1.19 (0.71 ± 0.13) | |||||
Measurements are in μm and are presented as ranges followed by mean values and standard deviations. Relative size to host cells were calculated by multiplying L × W and dividing it by host cell L × W. Statistical test to compare measures of P. t. tropiduri and P. ouropretensis are presented.