Presence Of Blood Parasites Research Articles

Intra- and interindividual variation in flank gland secretions of free-ranging shrewsCrocidura russula

Individual differences in flank gland secretions were examined among males of the monogamous shrewCrocidura russula during the breeding and nonbreeding seasons. Gas chromatography was used to measure intra- and interindividual variation of flank gland secretions of free-ranging shrews from different populations. The number of compounds detected by gas Chromatographic analyses was correlated with body mass, flank gland size, and the presence of blood parasites in individual shrews. Very few compounds were detected from the flank gland area of juvenile males. After they reached sexual maturity, however, the number of compounds detected from the flank gland secretions increased significantly. At the beginning of the reproductive season 48 different compounds were detected from male flank gland secretions. In the middle of the breeding season 70 compounds were detected, while only 11 compounds were detected during the nonbreeding season. Few compounds were common to all males. There were more volatile compounds in the flank gland secretions of males in the beginning of the breeding season than later in the breeding season. Males from the same population had fewer differences in the elution profile of compounds than males from different populations indicating that individuals from a distinct population have similar elution profiles of compounds and that each population has its own type of elution profile. No correlations were found between the number of compounds detected by gas chromatography for each male and the male's body mass or flank gland size. Blood parasites (trypanosomes,Trypanosoma crocidurae) were found in only three of 30 males investigated.

Hematology and plasma chemistry values in free‐ranging Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti) in Chile

AbstractTo establish baseline hematologic and plasma biochemistry values in free‐ranging Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti), heparinized blood samples were collected from 51 apparently healthy, adult Humboldt penguins residing at two colonies off the Chilean coast. Thirty samples were collected in April, 1992, from penguins inhabiting the Ex‐islote de los Pájaros Niños in Algarrobo, Chile. In September, 1992, 21 samples were collected from birds inhabiting Isla de Cachagua, Chile. Hematologic values measured include packed cell volume, leucocyte count, leucocyte differential, and the presence of blood parasites. Plasma biochemistry values measured include glucose, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, uric acid, calcium, inorganic phosphorous, sodium, potassium, chloride, total protein, albumin, globulin, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, and creatine kinase. Only the mean values for chloride and for the number of eosinophils differed significantly between the two sample groups. No blood parasites were seen. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Evaluation of a DNA-based probe for the detection of cattle experimentally infected with Babesia bigemina.

A digoxigenin-labeled probe was used for hybridization to various preparations of Babesia bigemina-infected erythrocyte extracts. Dot blot hybridization and immunological detection of DNA hybrids revealed that the probe was specific for B. bigemina DNA because it did not hybridize to the DNA of B. bovis, a closely related species. Studies of sensitivity showed that the probe would bind to as little as 1 ng of B. bigemina DNA, but not to 1 microgram of the B. bovis DNA. The probe reacted with equal intensity against seven B. bigemina isolates from different geographic areas. The lowest percentage of B. bigemina-infected erythrocytes detected was 0.001%, a level of parasitemia not usually detected with the light microscope. Six intact, mixed-breed steers, approximately 3 years old, were inoculated with a blood stabilate containing B. bigemina-infected erythrocytes. Blood samples collected from day -1 to day 86 postinoculation (PI) and prepared for DNA extraction were analyzed in a dot blot hybridization assay using a nonradioactive DNA probe. Hybridization reaction (HR) signals were compared to results obtained by light microscopy (LM) examination of Giemsa-stained blood smears and to antibody titers of serum samples assayed with the complement fixation test (CFT) and indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). Four of six inoculated steers became infected with B. bigemina as assessed by LM. The parasitemias were low (less than 0.01-0.05) at day 10 PI. Only three steers were serologically positive by CFT (titer 1:40-1:160) and IFAT (1:1280). All four infected steers had positive HR signals in the dot blot assay. The HR signals were observed from day 10 to day 77 PI and were usually correlated with the presence of parasites in blood as observed by LM. The HR signals varied in intensity for different blood samples from the experimental animals and with day of blood sample collection. Although the signal intensity did not correlate with the parasitemia level estimated by LM, the nucleic acid hybridization assay was more sensitive than LM, CFT, or IFAT for the detection of B. bigemina-infected cattle.

Longitudinal study of the cellular response to Pf155/RESA and circumsporozoite protein in Madagascar

In a community follow-up conducted in the Central Highlands of Madagascar, the cellular responses to synthetic peptides from the immunodominant regions of Pf155/RESA and the repeat region of the circumsporozoite protein were studied. Seasonal variations of the T cell response were measured at the individual level; the relationship between this response and the presence of parasites in blood was assessed; the question of the possible protective value of the lymphocyte proliferation in presence of a specific antigen was addressed.

Blood parameters of the wild chacma baboon,Papio ursinus

Serum chemical and haematological data are presented for 63 wild chacma baboons, Papio ursinus, living in the Okavango Swamp, Botswana. Most values are similar to those which have been found previously for captive baboons, although some differences are noted, particularly in serum lipid levels. The effects on blood assays of 16 environmental, physiological and behavioural variables are examined. Female reproductive state, especially pregnancy, and the age and size of individuals were the variables which had the most significant effects on blood assays, whereas the presence of blood parasites and the dominance status of an individual had no effect. The importance of defining boundary conditions when describing normal blood values is emphasized.

Blood parasites of imported psittacine birds

Of 117 imported psittacine birds examined for the presence of blood parasites, 18 (15-3 per cent) were found to be infected. The most common parasites were microfilaria and Haemoproteus, but Aegyptianella and a Trypanosoma sp were also observed. Haemoproteus handai was diagnosed in several birds and for the first time in lesser sulphur-crested cockatoos. The significance of the parasites observed is discussed and also that of other haematozoa recorded from psittacines but not found during the present survey.

Leucocytozoon bonasae Clarke in Michigan Sharp-Tailed Grouse

Leucocytozoon bonasae was first described from ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) by Clarke in 1935. That same year Saunders (1935) reported the presence of Leucacytozoon in sharp-tailed grouse (Pedioecetes phasianellus campestris) in Michigan. Since O'Roke (1934) clearly demonstrated that L. simondi could be an important factor in the mortality of ducklings, researchers studying grouse have sought to determine whether L. bonasae may play a similar role in the grouse as a group, particularly with respect to periodic population declines. The majority of the data for this report were collected during the winter and early spring months of 1952 and 1953 as part of an ecological study of sharp-tailed grouse in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (Peterle, 1954).1 Therefore, the data were derived only from potential breeding populations. Blood smears were obtained from 126 wildtrapped birds, stained with Geimsa's stain, and carefully examined for the presence of blood parasites. At the time of examination, each positive smear was assigned a number to indicate the relative intensity of infection. A rating of 1 indicated that a long search was necessary to locate a parasite; a 2 rating meant enough parasites for rather prompt determination; and a 3 rating was used when a parasite occurred in nearly every field at a magnification of X 100. Gametocytes of L. bonasae were found in varying intensities in 105 of 157 smears examined. Table 1 shows the number of slides examined, the percentage infected, and the average intensity of infection by sex and age classes. The figures indicate that in the study area adult sharp-tails were more frequently infected than juveniles, 72 per cent and 56 per cent, respectively. However, this difference was probably much more apparent than real.