Haemosporidian blood parasite diversity and prevalence in the semi-collared flycatcher (Ficedula semitorquata) from the eastern Balkans
Language English Country Netherlands Media print-electronic
Document type Journal Article
PubMed
27641106
DOI
10.1016/j.parint.2016.09.007
PII: S1383-5769(16)30355-5
Knihovny.cz E-resources
- Keywords
- Avian malaria, Haemoproteus, PCR, Plasmodium, Semi-collared flycatcher,
- MeSH
- Cytochromes b blood MeSH
- Haemosporida classification isolation & purification MeSH
- Bird Diseases epidemiology parasitology MeSH
- Plasmodium classification isolation & purification MeSH
- Protozoan Infections epidemiology parasitology MeSH
- Songbirds parasitology MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Balkan Peninsula epidemiology MeSH
- Names of Substances
- Cytochromes b MeSH
We present the first survey on prevalence and diversity of haemosporidian parasites of the genera Plasmodium and Haemoproteus in a poorly studied migratory passerine, the semi-collared flycatcher (Ficedula semitorquata). In total, 110 individuals were sampled during two breeding seasons in Eastern Bulgaria. We collected both blood samples for PCR identification and blood films for microscopic identification of haemosporidians. We found six distinctive parasite cyt b lineages present in the blood of the semi-collared flycatcher (three Haemoproteus and three Plasmodium). Two of the lineages, i.e. pWW3 of Plasmodium sp. and hCCF2 of Haemoproteus sp., are recorded for the first time in the family Muscicapidae. The overall prevalence ranged between 12.2 and 15.9% and we did not find co-infections. We hypothesize that the low prevalence of haemosporidians in this species might be linked to its small population size and relatively restricted geographical range.
References provided by Crossref.org
