Baracktrema | |
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Genus: | Baracktrema Roberts et al., 2016
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Species: | B. obamai
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Baracktrema obamai Roberts et al., 2016
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Baracktrema obamai is a species of blood fluke, found in Malaysian freshwater turtles. The discovery prompted the creation of a new genus, Baracktrema. It was discovered in 2015 by a team of American parasitologists led by Thomas R. Platt, and named after U.S. President Barack Obama.[1]
B. obamai is likely an ancestor of the parasitic flatworms that cause schistosomiasis. It infects the lungs of host turtles, but is not currently known to infect humans. B. obamai is classified as a parasitic flatworm.[2]
B. obamai has been seen to infect two kinds of turtles, the black marsh turtle (Siebenrockiella crassicollis) and the Amboina box turtle (Cuora amboinensis). Both turtles are found in Malaysia.