Abstract
For species at risk of extinction, any parasites they have would be expected to face a similar fate. In such cases, time is running out for efforts to identify and study their parasitic fauna before they are gone. We surveyed the hemoparasite fauna of 50 black-chested, spiny-tailed iguanas (Ctenosaura melanosterna), a critically-endangered species, on an island off the coast of Honduras. Blood samples from captured animals were tested for hemoparasites by thin blood smear and molecular analyses. Based on microscopy, two parasites were identified, a Plasmodium sp. in 14% of iguanas and a Hepatozoon sp. in 32%. For both parasites, parasitemia levels were <0.1%. Prevalence and parasitemias of Hepatozoon declined with increasing host size, a pattern differing from most prior studies of saurian reptiles. From a subset of iguanas with microscopy-confirmed Plasmodium infections, sequence analysis of 454 bp of the cytochrome b gene indicated that the Plasmodium species was distinct from known Plasmodium and was most closely related to P. chiricahuae (96.5% similarity) followed by P. mexicanum (95.8% similarity). Efforts to amplify the Hepatozoon parasite using PCR were not successful. Additional surveys and studies of this host-parasite system would be valuable, both to science and to the management of this endangered animal.
Highlights
When an entire species is in danger of becoming extinct, those species that depend on the endangered species, such as its parasite fauna, are doomed to extinction unless the host species can be protected
Based on phylogenetic analysis, the iguana Plasmodium sp. was included in a clade with P. chiricahuae and P. mexicanum, both reported from Sceloporus spp. lizards). e cytb sequence from the iguana Plasmodium species has been submitted to GenBank under accession number JX849146
Only two Plasmodium species have been reported from Ctenosaura species. e rst is P. rhadinurum, which was rst described by ompson and Huff [17] in Iguana iguana from Mexico
Summary
When an entire species is in danger of becoming extinct, those species that depend on the endangered species, such as its parasite fauna, are doomed to extinction unless the host species can be protected. Especially with endangered species that have been little studied, their associated parasites are being lost even before they can be observed, classi ed, and formally described [1]. For many years the task of identifying the parasites associated with organisms of conservation concern was not a priority, or if it was, it was only because they were considered threats to conservation goals [3]. All efforts should be made to identify parasites in any hosts that are on a path to extinction, lest they disappear before being documented by science There has been a shi in thinking about the integral role of parasites in ecosystems, along with a new effort to impress upon conservationists, veterinarians, and laypersons that the preservation of biodiversity, one of the fundamental objectives of conservation, should include parasites [3,4,5].
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