Hemoparasite occurrence and hematological/serum chemistry variations in Podocnemis vogli turtles: A comparative analysis between wild-residing infected specimens and captive non-infected counterparts.

Reptiles show a high occurrence of hemoparasites in the wild; however, little is known about the impact of such infections on their hosts' physiology and health status. Podocnemis vogli is an ancient turtle distributed in South America, frequently infected by blood parasites. Specifically, we analyzed the hematological and serum chemistry parameters of 78 wild turtles.

Molecular Mechanisms of Persistence in Protozoan Parasites.

Protozoan parasites are known for their remarkable capacity to persist within the bodies of vertebrate hosts, which frequently results in prolonged infections and the recurrence of diseases. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that underlie the event of persistence is of paramount significance to develop innovative therapeutic approaches, given that these pathways still need to be thoroughly elucidated. The present article provides a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in the investigation of protozoan persistence in vertebrate hosts.

Ribosome Specialization in Protozoa Parasites.

Ribosomes, in general, are viewed as constitutive macromolecular machines where protein synthesis takes place; however, this view has been recently challenged, supporting the hypothesis of ribosome specialization and opening a completely new field of research. Recent studies have demonstrated that ribosomes are heterogenous in their nature and can provide another layer of gene expression control by regulating translation. Heterogeneities in ribosomal RNA and ribosomal proteins that compose them favor the selective translation of different sub-pools of mRNAs and functional specialization.

Molecular and morphological description of the first (Apicomplexa: Hepatozoidae) species infecting a neotropical turtle, with an approach to its phylogenetic relationships.

Haemogregarines (Adeleorina) have a high prevalence in turtles. Nevertheless, there is only one Hepatozoon species described that infects Testudines so far; it is Hepatozoon fitzsimonsi which infects the African tortoise Kinixys belliana. Colombia harbours a great diversity of chelonians; however, most of them are threatened.