The life cycle ofPlasmodium vinckei lentumsubsp. nov. in the laboratory; comments on the nomenclature of the murine malaria parasites

In 1966 Adam, Landau and Chabaud discovered two malaria parasites in the forest rodent TJza~~znomys rutilam7 captured in the Congo (Brazzaville). From their morphology in the blood the parasites were identified as Plasmodium berghei Vincke and Lips, 1948, and P. vinckei Rodhain, 19.52, but, since their complete life-cycles were not then known, it was not possible to determine their subspecific status and relationships to similar parasites from other parts of Africa. In later work, the berghei-like parasite was found to be easily transmitted cyclically in the laboratory, and the sporogony and tissue schizogony of this subspecies, P. berghei killicki, have been described elsewhere (Landau, Michel and Adam, 1968). In contrast, stages of the life-cycle of the viizckei-like parasite were less easily obtained, and attempts were made using many new isolates before the best methods of cyclically passaging this subspecies in the laboratory were determined. In the present paper, a description is given of the complete life cycle of P. vinckei lentum subsp. nov., from Brazzaville, and the nomenclature of the murine malaria parasites is discussed.