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Genetic diversity, temporal dynamics, and host specificity in blood parasites of passerines in north China.

Huang, Xi LU ; Dong, Lu ; Zhang, Chenglin and Zhang, Yanyun (2015) In Parasitology Reseach 114(12). p.4513-4520
Abstract
Avian blood parasites have been preliminarily studied in East Asia, but no data are available from long-term monitoring. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, genetic diversity, and temporal dynamics of Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, and Leucocytozoon in two passerine communities (one forest and one urban) in north China from 2008 to 2013, as well as the association between infected lineages and host specificities. Out of 633 birds from 40 species, 157 individuals (24.8 %) were infected; overall prevalence was 26.7 % and 16.8 % in two sites, respectively. The dominant avian blood parasite genus in the forest park changed yearly between Plasmodium and Haemoproteus, while the Leucocytozoon maintained a low infection level.... (More)
Avian blood parasites have been preliminarily studied in East Asia, but no data are available from long-term monitoring. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, genetic diversity, and temporal dynamics of Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, and Leucocytozoon in two passerine communities (one forest and one urban) in north China from 2008 to 2013, as well as the association between infected lineages and host specificities. Out of 633 birds from 40 species, 157 individuals (24.8 %) were infected; overall prevalence was 26.7 % and 16.8 % in two sites, respectively. The dominant avian blood parasite genus in the forest park changed yearly between Plasmodium and Haemoproteus, while the Leucocytozoon maintained a low infection level. Forty-four haplotypes were identified by sequencing a 432-bp fragment of the cytochrome b (cyt b) gene; more than 70 % were novel (six Plasmodium lineages, 16 Haemoproteus lineages, and nine Leucocytozoon lineages). Based on our data gathered over consecutive years, we found that the highly observed lineages of Haemoproteus showed higher host diversities than those of Plasmodium, and the most infected lineage EMEL01 (100 % identity with SGS1) take on the highest host diversity but low temporal diversity of the two genera, implying that this lineage infected a great diversity of species in certain years, but maintained a lower infection level or even disappeared in other years. The results suggest that genetic diversity of avian blood parasites in East Asia is high and provides scope for further research. In addition, compared with overall analysis, yearly prevalence monitoring is important in uncovering the temporal dynamic and host specificity variations over time. (Less)
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; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Parasitology Reseach
volume
114
issue
12
pages
4513 - 4520
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • pmid:26385465
  • wos:000362895700019
  • scopus:84943664622
  • pmid:26385465
ISSN
1432-1955
DOI
10.1007/s00436-015-4695-5
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a38817e3-f154-4bdf-bd37-7b762ba867ae (old id 8035948)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:24:57
date last changed
2022-03-04 19:19:36
@article{a38817e3-f154-4bdf-bd37-7b762ba867ae,
  abstract     = {{Avian blood parasites have been preliminarily studied in East Asia, but no data are available from long-term monitoring. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, genetic diversity, and temporal dynamics of Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, and Leucocytozoon in two passerine communities (one forest and one urban) in north China from 2008 to 2013, as well as the association between infected lineages and host specificities. Out of 633 birds from 40 species, 157 individuals (24.8 %) were infected; overall prevalence was 26.7 % and 16.8 % in two sites, respectively. The dominant avian blood parasite genus in the forest park changed yearly between Plasmodium and Haemoproteus, while the Leucocytozoon maintained a low infection level. Forty-four haplotypes were identified by sequencing a 432-bp fragment of the cytochrome b (cyt b) gene; more than 70 % were novel (six Plasmodium lineages, 16 Haemoproteus lineages, and nine Leucocytozoon lineages). Based on our data gathered over consecutive years, we found that the highly observed lineages of Haemoproteus showed higher host diversities than those of Plasmodium, and the most infected lineage EMEL01 (100 % identity with SGS1) take on the highest host diversity but low temporal diversity of the two genera, implying that this lineage infected a great diversity of species in certain years, but maintained a lower infection level or even disappeared in other years. The results suggest that genetic diversity of avian blood parasites in East Asia is high and provides scope for further research. In addition, compared with overall analysis, yearly prevalence monitoring is important in uncovering the temporal dynamic and host specificity variations over time.}},
  author       = {{Huang, Xi and Dong, Lu and Zhang, Chenglin and Zhang, Yanyun}},
  issn         = {{1432-1955}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{12}},
  pages        = {{4513--4520}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Parasitology Reseach}},
  title        = {{Genetic diversity, temporal dynamics, and host specificity in blood parasites of passerines in north China.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00436-015-4695-5}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s00436-015-4695-5}},
  volume       = {{114}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}