Molecular Phylogenetic Relatedness of Frenkelia spp. (Protozoa, Apicomplexa) to Sarcocystis falcatula Stiles 1893: Is the Genus Sarcocystis Paraphyletic?

• Published in: The Journal of eukaryotic microbiology Vol. 45; no. 1; pp. 137 - 141
• Main Authors: Votypka, Jan, Hypša, Vaclav, Jirku, Milan, Flegr, Jaroslav, Vavra, Jiri, Lukes, Julius
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-01-1998; Blackwell
• Subjects: Animals; Apicomplexa - classification; Apicomplexa - genetics; Arvicolinae - parasitology; Biological and medical sciences; Cloning, Molecular; Evolution; Evolution, Molecular; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; heteroxenous coccidia; life cycle; Molecular Sequence Data; Phylogeny; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Protozoa; RNA, Ribosomal - genetics; Sarcocystis - classification; Sarcocystis - genetics; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Analysis, DNA; SSU rRNA sequences; Systematics. Geographical distribution. Morphology. Cytology; Protozoa; Apicomplexa; Nucleotide sequence; Cladism; Ribosomal RNA; Taxonomy; Pathogenic; Synonymy; Parasite; Phylogeny
• ISSN: 1066-5234; 1550-7408
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1550-7408.1998.tb05081.x

ABSTRACT The coccidians Frenkelia microti and F. glareoli (Apicomplexa: Sarcocystidae) form tissue cysts in the brain of small rodents (intermediate hosts) while oocysts are formed in the intestine of final hosts, buzzards of the genus Buteo. The inclusion of the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene sequences (SSU rRNA) of both Frenkelia species into the SSU rRNA trees of other, tissue cyst‐forming coccidia strongly supports paraphyly of the genus Sarcocystis. Frenkelia spp. exhibit close relatedness to Sarcocystis falcatula Stiles 1893, a bird‐opossum parasite, recognized under its junior synonym S. neurona Dubey et al. 1991, as the causative agent of equine protozoan myeloencephalitis on the American continent. As the definition of the genus Frenkelia is based on a plesiomorphic character (affinity to the neural tissue) of supposedly low phylogenetic value, the synonymization of the genus Frenkelia with Sarcocystis is proposed. This renders the genus Sarcocystis monophyletic.