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Saurian malaria species which produce schizonts smaller than normal erythrocyte nuclei, with 4-8 merozoietes and gametocytes equal to or smaller than erythrocyte nuclei in size, parasitizing hosts of the lizard families Scincidae, Iguanidae and Teiidae in the Neotropics are considered to be Plasmodium minasense Carini and Rudolph, 1912. Subspecific designations are given to distinctive populations parasitizing different host species: P. minasense minasense is recognized from the type host, Mabuya mabouya of Brasil; P. minasense carinii Leger and Mouzels, 1917 from Iguana iguana of coastal South America; P. minasense anolisi subsp. nov. from Anolis limifrons of Panama; P. minasense capitoi subsp. nov. from Anolis capito of Panama; P. minasense plicae subsp. nov. from Plica umbra of Guyana; P. minasense tegui subsp. nov. from Tupinambis teguixin of Venezuela; and P. minasense diminutivum Telford, 1973, new combination, from Ameiva ameiva of Panama. Plasmodium rhadinurum Thompson and Huff, 1944 is recognized as a distinct species at present on the basis of possessing schizonts of different shape, asexual stages with filamentous projections in most portions of its range, and larger gametocytes, as well as apparent sympatry with P. minasense carinii in some areas.

Saurian malaria parasites in the Caribbean were previously represented by only two species, Plasmodium azurophilum and P. floridense. An additional three species of Plasmodium occur on Hispaniola which appear, because of morphometric and qualitative similarities, to be related to South and Middle American species: a subspecies of Plasmodium tropiduri in Anolis cybotes; a population of Plasmodium minasense anolisi in A. cybotes and A. distichus; and another parasite in A. distichus which is designated as a subspecies of a previously undescribed Plasmodium species in Anolis limifrons. Taxonomic descriptions based upon morphology of mature schizonts and gametocytes are given, the previously unknown parasites are described as new species/subspecies, and comparison is made with P. floridense which also occurs in their respective host species. A Fallisia species was also present but is not described. The increased diversity of Plasmodium parasites in Hispaniolan anoles is attributed to colonization of the island by four separate evolutionary lines of Anolis lizards, in comparison to fewer invasions of Jamaica and Puerto Rico, where only P. floridense and P. azurophilum are found.

Enteropathogenic bacteria was isolated from 131 of 447 (29.4%) neotropical Panamanian lizards belonging to 34 species of seven families. Overall, 147 strains of bacteria were isolated comprising 26 Salmonella and 10 Arizona serotypes. Gymnopthalmus speciosus had the highest infection rate, 12 of 13 individuals (92.3%), whereas Gonatodes fuscus exhibited the lowest, 1 of 18 (5.6%). The highest infection was detected in lizards whose behavioral patterns were secretive (42.0%) and terrestrial (42.6%), whereas the lowest infection was among the scansorial lizards (17.5%). Rates were highest during the dry season, from January through April. Many neotropical Panamanian lizards were multiply infected by Salmonella an Arizona strains representing representing a wide range of serotypes. Infected lizards were distributed in areas varying from remote rural and forested regions to urban developments, offering a potentially important reservoir of enteropathogenic bacteria known to cause infection in man and domestic animals.

Saurian Plasmodium populations previously identified as P. tropiduri from Panama are described as subspecies or distinct species. The nominate subspecies, P. tropiduri tropiduri parasitizes Tropidurus species from Brazil, Guyana and Venezuela. Two other subspecies occur in Panama, P. tropiduri panamense from Anolis biporcatus and P. tropiduri aquaticum from the semi-aquatic lizards Anolis lionotus and A. poecilopus. Parasites found in Anolis frenatus are described as a distinct species, P. marginatum, while those from Anolis limifrons represent a third, un-named species. A parasite of Plica plica in Guyana, previously called P. cnemidophori, is designated P. guyannense, while identification of Plica umbra parasites as P. tropiduri is corrected to P. vacuolatum and Fallisia simplex.

Two edentates, the twotoed sloth Choloepus hoffmanni and the three-toed sloth Bradypus infuscatus, infected with Leishmania were found in Panama. The rates of infection were 14.1 and 1.3 percent in Choloepus and Bradypus, respectively. Leishmania braziliensis sensu lato was cultured from skin, blood, spleen, liver, or bone marrow of 13 sloths often from two or more tissues from the same animal. This strain is indistinguishable from Leishmania strains isolated from hunmanis in Panama.

Characteristics of a new Salmonella serotype, subgenus IV, are reported. Culture 5534-68 was recovered from the intestinal tract of Anolis biporcatus, an arboreal lizard found in deep forest tracts in Panama Province, Republic of Panama. The antigenic composition of this new serotype was found to be 50(1, 2, 3):z(4), z(24):-.