Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42563174›Full record

ArticleMalaria journal2026

The monophyly of Nycteria and Polychromophilus parasites: a missing piece in the evolution of malaria and other Haemosporida.

M Andreína Pacheco, Juliane Schaer, Oskar Werb, Beatriz Mello, Ananías A Escalante

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Malaria journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Complete mitochondrial genome characterization of the haemosporidian parasiteCurrent research in parasitology & vector-borne diseases · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

M Andreína Pacheco *Biology Department/Institute of Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine (iGEM), Temple University, (SERC-653), 1925 N. 12th St, Philadelphia, PA, 19122-1801, USA.
Juliane Schaer *Department of Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Philippstr. 13, 10115, Berlin, Germany. schaerju@hu-berlin.de.
Oskar WerbDepartment of Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Philippstr. 13, 10115, Berlin, Germany.
Beatriz MelloDepartment of Genetics, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Ananías A Escalante *Biology Department/Institute of Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine (iGEM), Temple University, (SERC-653), 1925 N. 12th St, Philadelphia, PA, 19122-1801, USA. Ananias.Escalante@temple.edu.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1532-3430

Funding

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico 311231/2022-5Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft 437846632Division of Environmental Biology 2146653Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro E-26/201.446/2022 and E-26/204.534/2025
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHaemosporida is a diverse order of vector-borne apicomplexan parasites infecting terrestrial vertebrates worldwide, including humans, but the evolutionary relationships among its genera remain unresolved. The phylogenetic placement of two bat-restricted genera, Nycteria and Polychromophilus, both of which lack erythrocytic schizogony, has varied across studies depending on taxon sampling and marker choice.

methodsTo address this problem, an expanded dataset of near-complete mitochondrial (mtDNA) genomes together with nine nuclear loci were analyzed.

resultsPhylogenetic analyses of mtDNA recovered Nycteria and Polychromophilus as a strongly supported monophyletic clade. In contrast, analyses based only on the three mitochondrial coding genes (CDS) or a reduced nuclear dataset failed to recover their monophyly and showed low support and extensive topological conflict at deeper nodes. These results indicate that the near-complete mitochondrial genomes recover phylogenetic signal that is not captured by reduced mitochondrial coding sequences or partial nuclear datasets. Molecular dating analyses further showed that divergence estimates for a putative Nycteria-Polychromophilus clade are compatible with the proposed times for bat diversification and consistent with the broader haemosporidian timescale. When the Nycteria-Polychromophilus clade was incorporated as a calibration prior, divergence-time estimates became more precise without altering the overall evolutionary timeframe. Substantial mitochondrial gene-order rearrangements in a distinct Nycteria lineage were confirmed, highlighting structural divergence within this bat-associated group. In addition, heterogeneity in rates across mtDNA haemosporidian lineages was observed.

conclusionTogether, these findings support the existence of a distinct bat-associated clade whose deeper placement and evolutionary significance should be tested with broader phylogenomic sampling.

Indexed as

Evolution, MolecularHaemosporidaPhylogenyAnimalsChiropteraDNA, MitochondrialDNA, ProtozoanGenome, MitochondrialSequence Analysis, DNADNA, MitochondrialDNA, ProtozoanChiropteraHaemosporidaMitochondrial genomesMolecular datingMolecular phylogeneticsNuclear genes

Identifiers

PMID42563174
PMCPMC13445807

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.