biology

Plasmodium minasense

Plasmodium minasense is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Plasmodium minasense rather than just read about it. In short: Plasmodium minasense is a parasite of the genus Plasmodium subgenus Carinamoeba. Like all Plasmodium species P. minasense has both vertebrate and insect hosts.

Key takeaways

Plasmodium minasense belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Plasmodium minasense to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Plasmodium minasense from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Plasmodium minasense is a parasite of the genus Plasmodium subgenus Carinamoeba. Like all Plasmodium species P. minasense has both vertebrate and insect hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are lizards.

Taxonomy The original description of this species was by Carini and Rudolphi in 1912 in a lizard Mabuia agilis. Since then a number of subspecies of P. minasense have been described. The diagnostic features of P. minasense are:

The schizonts are smaller than normal erythrocyte nuclei. Schzonts produce 4-8 merozoites The gametocytes are equal to or smaller than erythrocyte nuclei in size and round in shape They infect hosts of the lizard families Scincidae, Iguanidae and Teiidae in the Neotropics It is currently thought that P. minasense is closely related to Plasmodium floridense and Plasmodium tropiduri. Like much of the taxonomy in this genus this opinion may need to be revised once the species have been subjected to DNA analysis.

Subspecies Subspecies are currently named on the basis of the hosts infected. This criterion may be subject to revision when DNA based taxonomy is applied to this species complex. The subspecies currently recognised include: P. minasense anolisi P. minasense calcaratae P. minasense capitoi P. minasense carinii P. minasense diminutivum P. minasense minasense P. minasense plicae P. minasense tegui

P. minasense anolisi Described by Telford in 1979

Distribution Found in Panama, Central America and the Caribbean.

Hosts Known hosts include the lizards Anolis cybotes, Anolis distichus, Anolis frenatus and Anolis limifrons

P. minasense calcaratae This subspecies was described by Telford and Telford in 2003. It is characterized by very small, usually fan-shaped, schizonts that average 3.4 × 2.6 micrometres (range: 2.5 – 4.5 × 2.0 – 3.0). The schizonts produce 3.9 (range: 3 – 4) merozoites. The gametocytes are spherical or ovoid averaging 6.7 × 5.0 micrometres (range: 4.5 – 9.0 × 3.0 – 7.0) in size with a length-width product of 33.7 (range: 15 – 54) and a length/width ratio of 1.4 (range: 1.0 – 2.3). By dimension they are not sexual dimorphic.

Distribution Found in Venezuela, South America.

Hosts The only known host is the lizard Kentropyx calcarata

P. minasense capitoi This subspecies was described by Telford in 1979.

Distribution Found in Panama, Central America.

Hosts The only known host is the lizard Anolis capito

P. minasense carinii This subspecies was described by Leger and Mouzels in 1917

Distribution Found in coastal South America.

Hosts The only known host is the lizard Iguana iguana

P. minasense diminutivum This subspecies was described by Telford in 1973

Distribution Found in Panama, Central America.

Hosts The only known host is the lizard Ameiva ameiva

P. minasense minasense This is recognised as the type species. It was described by Carini and Rudolphi in 1912 in a lizard Mabuya agilis.

Distribution Found in Brazil, Central America.

Hosts Known hosts include the lizards Mabuya agilis and Mabuya mabouya.

P. minasense plicae This subspecies was described by Telford in 1979.

Distribution Found in Guyana, South America.

Hosts The only known host is the lizard Plica umbra

P. minasense tegui

Distribution Found in Venezuela, South America.

Hosts The only known host is the lizard Tupinambis teguixin

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Plasmodium minasense

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Plasmodium minasense claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Plasmodium minasense before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Plasmodium minasense ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Plasmodium minasense

In research: Plasmodium minasense appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Plasmodium minasense in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Plasmodium minasense is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Apicomplexa species, Parasites of reptiles, Plasmodium, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Plasmodium minasense outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Plasmodium minasense in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Plasmodium minasense means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Plasmodium minasense out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Plasmodium minasense in simple terms?

Plasmodium minasense is a parasite of the genus Plasmodium subgenus Carinamoeba. Like all Plasmodium species P. minasense has both vertebrate and insect hosts.

Why does Plasmodium minasense matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Plasmodium minasense?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Plasmodium minasense.