[1]

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Cardiosporidium
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
(unranked):
SAR
(unranked):
Alveolata
Phylum:
Apicomplexa
Class:
Aconoidasida
Order:
Achromatorida
Family:
Haemohormidiidae
Genus:
Cardiosporidium
Species

Cardiosporidium cionae

Cardiosporidium is a genus of parasitic alveolates in the phylum Apicomplexa. It infects the ascidian Ciona intestinalis.

History

This genus was first described by Van Gaver and Stephan in 1907. It was redescribed by Ciancio et al in 2008.[2]

Taxonomy

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There is one known species in this genus: Cardiosporidium cionae. It appears to be related to the genera Babesia, Cytauxzoon and Theileria.

Description

The parasite infects the pericardial body of the host. Like other members of this phylum it possesses apicoplasts, rhoptry and subpellicular microtubules. This Apicomplexan parasite is occasionally itself "parasitised" by an alphaproteobacteria from the order Rickettsiales. The symbiont is termed a "parasite" only as a shorthand convenience. Technically speaking, it may actually act more as a mutualualist-symbiont or a commensal-symbiont rather than a parasitic-symbiont. It synthesizes the essential metabolites Lysine and lipoic acid, which likely benefits the holobiont: These apicomplexan hosts bearing this endo-symbiotic bacterium may benefit from the supply of extra nutrients. A similar apicomplxan from the genus Nephromyces has also been described. They are found in Narraganset Bay Rhode Island and in the Gulf of Naples.

References

  1. ^ Hunter, Elizabeth (2020). "Metabolic Contributions of an Alphaproteobacterial Endosymbiont in the Apicomplexan Cardiosporidium cionae". Front. Microbiol. 11: 1–11. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2020.580719. PMC 7737231. PMID 33335517.
  2. ^ Ciancio A, Scippa S, Finetti-Sialer M, De Candia A, Avallone B, De Vincentiis M (2008). "Redescription of Cardiosporidium cionae (Van Gaver and Stephan, 1907) (Apicomplexa: Piroplasmida), a plasmodial parasite of ascidian haemocytes". Eur. J. Protistol. 44 (3): 181–196. doi:10.1016/j.ejop.2007.11.005. PMID 18304788.


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