Prevalence and diversity of avian haemosporidian parasites across islands of Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea

Abstract

The taxonomically diverse and relatively understudied avifauna of Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) island archipelagos provide a unique ecological framework for studying haemosporidian parasite differentiation and geographic structure. We implemented molecular and phylogenetic analyses of partial mitochondrial DNA sequences to assess the host distribution of 3 genera of vector-transmitted avian blood parasites (Plasmodium, Leucocytozoon and Haemoproteus) across a range of islands off the southeastern tip of PNG. We identified 40 new lineages of haemosporidians, including five lineages belonging to Leucocytozoon, a genus not previously described in this region. Leucocytozoon infections were only observed on the larger, human-inhabited islands. Lineages belonging to Haemoproteus were diverse and had broad geographic distribution. Compared to the mainland, Haemoproteus parasites on the smaller, more distant islands had greater host specificity and lower infection prevalence. The black sunbird (Leptocoma aspasia), a commonly caught species, was shown to be a rare host for Haemoproteus spp. infections. Moreover, although birds of the genus Pitohui harbor a neurotoxin (homobatrachotoxin), they demonstrated an infection prevalence comparable to other bird species. The islands of PNG display heterogeneous patterns of haemosporidian diversity, distribution and host-specificity and serve as a valuable model system for studying host-parasite-vector interactions.