Plasmodium is a genus of unicellular eukaryotes that are obligate parasites of vertebrates and insects. The life cycles of Plasmodium species involve ...PlasmodiumFromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopediaJumptonavigationJumptosearchGenusofparasiticprotiststhatcancausemalariaForthemultinucleatestageofsomemicroorganisms,seePlasmodium(lifecycle).PlasmodiumFalse-coloredelectronmicrographofasporozoiteScientificclassification(unranked):DiaphoretickesClade:TSARClade:SARInfrakingdom:AlveolataPhylum:ApicomplexaClass:AconoidasidaOrder:HaemospororidaFamily:PlasmodiidaeGenus:PlasmodiumMarchiafava&Celli,1885Plasmodiumisagenusofunicellulareukaryotesthatareobligateparasitesofvertebratesandinsects.ThelifecyclesofPlasmodiumspeciesinvolvedevelopmentinablood-feedinginsecthostwhichtheninjectsparasitesintoavertebratehostduringabloodmeal.Parasitesgrowwithinavertebratebodytissue(oftentheliver)beforeenteringthebloodstreamtoinfectredbloodcells.Theensuingdestructionofhostredbloodcellscanresultindisease,calledmalaria.Duringthisinfection,someparasitesarepickedupbyablood-feedinginsect(mosquitoesinmajoritycases),continuingthelifecycle.[1]PlasmodiumisamemberofthephylumApicomplexa,alargegroupofparasiticeukaryotes.WithinApicomplexa,PlasmodiumisintheorderHaemosporidaandfamilyPlasmodiidae.Over200speciesofPlasmodiumhavebeendescribed,manyofwhichhavebeensubdividedinto14subgenerabasedonparasitemorphologyandhostrange.EvolutionaryrelationshipsamongdifferentPlasmodiumspeciesdonotalwaysfollowtaxonomicboundaries;somespeciesthataremorphologicallysimilarorinfectthesamehostturnouttobedistantlyrelated.SpeciesofPlasmodiumaredistributedgloballywhereversuitablehostsarefound.InsecthostsaremostfrequentlymosquitoesofthegeneraCulexandAnopheles.Vertebratehostsincludereptiles,birds,andmammals.Plasmodiumparasiteswerefirstidentifiedinthelate19thcenturybyCharlesLaveran.Overthecourseofthe20thcentury,manyotherspecieswerediscoveredinvarioushostsandclassified,includingfivespeciesthatregularlyinfecthumans:P.vivax,P.falciparum,P.malariae,