Abstract
Background and Aim:Avian malaria is a tropical disease caused by protozoans of the genera Plasmodium and Haemoproteus. As a nonlethal disease, avian malaria can affect the lifespan and reproductive rate of birds. If there is a differential effect depending on bird species, then this disease might have a significant effect on avian biodiversity. The current study aimed to determine the incidence of Plasmodium in hummingbirds in humid premontane forest areas.Materials and Methods:Blood samples (n=60) were collected from hummingbirds from two areas (Santuario de Aves Milpe and Hacienda Puyucunapi) of Pichincha Province, Ecuador. Prevalence and parasitemia were determined by microscopic examination of blood smears stained with Giemsa reagent. Both study sites are part of a 1000 m elevational gradient; hence, elevation was used as a predictor variable for prevalence and parasitemia levels in a Mann–Whitney U-test. This test was also used to test for a sex bias.Results:This study reports on a total of 12 bird species that inhabit both study sites. At Milpe, the lower elevation site, a prevalence of 100% was recorded, whereas at Puyucunapi, the prevalence was 96%. The combined prevalence was 97%. Elevation and sex did not influence prevalence nor parasitemia in hummingbirds.Conclusion:This study does not suggest a significant elevation or sex bias on prevalence and parasitemia in hummingbirds.
Highlights
Parasitism is a species interaction that is pervasive worldwide, with over 31,000 protozoan parasites already described and more than three-quarters yet to be reported
Of the two studied areas, Puyucunapi had the greatest α-diversity with a total of 10 different bird species (Table-1), while in the Figure-2: Light microscopy image of Plasmodium-infected erythrocytes from an adult Collared Inca (Coeligena torquata)
Avian malaria parasites have a worldwide distribution, with Plasmodium being concentrated in South America
Summary
Parasitism is a species interaction that is pervasive worldwide, with over 31,000 protozoan parasites already described and more than three-quarters yet to be reported. The research that has been conducted to date on protozoan species is usually tied to their medical and economic significance. Species parasitizing mammals have been more widely studied than those parasitizing birds and reptiles [1]. Malaria is a pervasive parasitic disease caused by protozoans of the phylum Apicomplexa, as defined by Levine in 1970 [2]. Avian malaria is a tropical disease caused by protozoans of the genera Plasmodium and Haemoproteus. Avian malaria can affect the lifespan and reproductive rate of birds. If there is a differential effect depending on bird species, this disease might have a significant effect on avian biodiversity. The current study aimed to determine the incidence of Plasmodium in hummingbirds in humid premontane forest areas
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