Detection of Plasmodium sp. in the Zagros Mountains Mouse-like Hamster, Calomyscus cf bailwardi (Rodentia: Calomyscidae) from Fars Province, South of Iran

Background: The causative agent of malaria belongs to the genus Plasmodium, a protozoan of the Apicomplex phylum, which includes more than 100 species and infects a great number of vertebrates, including humans, primates, rodents, birds and reptiles. Several species of malaria parasites of rodents have been described in worldwide but there is little studies about the infection of these parasites in the Iranian rodents. Objective: To the author’s knowledge there are no reports to date about rodents infested by Plasmodium species naturally in Iran. Here, we describe Calomyscuse rodent as a new host for Plasmodum sp. in Iran.Material and Methods: Rodents were trapped from mountainous area in Northeastern Shiraz. Blood samples were collected from the animals in accordance with the procedures approved by the Ethical Committee of Shiraz University of Medical Science. Thin blood smears were prepared from rodents and stained with 10% Giemsa. The parasite was identified at the rank of genus using available identification keys. Results: Early trophozoites of plasmodium sp. were seen in some blood samples of the rodents. They were characterized by the appearance of a ring-like cytoplasm enclosing a vacuole with a dot of round nuclear chromatin projecting from the cytoplasm.Conclusion: This report is the first published documentation of Mouse-like Hamsters infested by Plasmodium sp. The morphology of the Plasmodium sp. closely resembled those of P. berghei in the early trophozoite stage but it needs to be confirmed by DNA molecular examination.