Abstract
Infectious diseases threaten the health and survival of wildlife populations. Consequently, relationships between host diversity, host abundance, and parasite infection are important aspects of disease ecology and conservation research. Here, we report on the prevalence patterns of avian Plasmodium and Haemoproteus infections and host relative abundance influence based on sampling 728 wild-caught birds representing 124 species at seven geographically widespread sites in southern China. The overall prevalence of two haemoprotozoan parasites, Plasmodium and Haemoproteus, was 29.5%, with 22.0% attributable to Haemoproteus and 7.8% to Plasmodium. Haemoproteus prevalence differed significantly among different avian host families, with the highest prevalence in Nectariniidae, Pycnonotidae and Muscicapidae, whereas Plasmodium prevalence varied significantly among host species. Seventy-nine mitochondrial lineages including 25 from Plasmodium and 54 from Haemoproteus were identified, 80% of which were described here for the first time. The phylogenetic relationships among these parasites indicated stronger host-species specificity for Haemoproteus than Plasmodium. Well-supported host-family (Timaliidae) specific clades were found in both Plasmodium and Haemoproteus. The Haemoproteus tree shows regional subclades, whereas the Plasmodium clades are “scattered” among different geographical regions. Interestingly, there were statistically significant variations in the prevalence of Plasmodium and Haemoproteus among the geographical regions. Furthermore, the prevalence of Plasmodium and Haemoproteus were not significantly correlated with host relative abundance. Further efforts will focus on exploring the relationships between parasite prevalence and sex, age, and immune defense of the host.
Highlights
Plasmodium and Haemoproteus (Phylum Apicomplexa, class Haemosporida) are common vector-borne globally distributed blood parasites, which occur in most bird species [1,2]
Parasite prevalence Among 728 bird samples representing 124 species from 26 families that were screened for infection with Plasmodium or Haemoproteus, we detected an overall prevalence of 29.5% (215 positive samples) comprising 71 infected species from 18 families (Table S1)
Parasite prevalence Plasmodium and Haemoproteus are widely distributed blood parasites that appear to be nearly ubiquitous in avian communities
Summary
Plasmodium and Haemoproteus (Phylum Apicomplexa, class Haemosporida) are common vector-borne globally distributed blood parasites, which occur in most bird species [1,2]. The symptoms of infection with haematozoa are generally mild in birds, such parasites can affect avian body condition [7], reproductive success [8], community structure [9] and possibly lead to host extinction [10]. These parasites can exert strong selective forces on their hosts, making it important to gain a better understanding of their distribution, dispersal potential, and host specificity in wild bird populations
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