Avian Haemosporidians Infecting Short- and Long-Distance Migratory Old World Flycatcher Species and the Variation in Parasitaemia After Endurance Flights
Emmenegger, Tamara LU
; Riello, Sara
; Schmid, Raffaella
; Serra, Lorenzo
; Spina, Fernando
and Hahn, Steffen
(2023)
In Acta Parasitologica
68(4).
p.746-753
- Abstract
Purpose: Avian haemosporidians are widespread parasites, occurring in many bird families and causing pathologies ranging from rather benign infections to highly virulent diseases. The state of knowledge about lineage-specific intensities of haemosporidian infection (i.e., parasitaemia) is mainly based on infection experiments conducted under laboratory conditions. The levels and range of parasitaemia in natural host–parasite associations as well as their influencing factor remain largely unexplored. Methods: Thus, we explored the parasitaemia of four songbird species (i.e., European Robins, Black and Common Redstarts and Whinchats) during migration by screening individuals upon landing on an insular passage site after extensive... (More)
Purpose: Avian haemosporidians are widespread parasites, occurring in many bird families and causing pathologies ranging from rather benign infections to highly virulent diseases. The state of knowledge about lineage-specific intensities of haemosporidian infection (i.e., parasitaemia) is mainly based on infection experiments conducted under laboratory conditions. The levels and range of parasitaemia in natural host–parasite associations as well as their influencing factor remain largely unexplored. Methods: Thus, we explored the parasitaemia of four songbird species (i.e., European Robins, Black and Common Redstarts and Whinchats) during migration by screening individuals upon landing on an insular passage site after extensive endurance flights to (1) describe their natural host–parasite associations, (2) quantify parasitaemia and (3) explore potential host- and parasite-related factors influencing parasitaemia. Results: We found 68% of Whinchats to be infected with haemosporidians, which is more frequent than any other of the studied host species (30–34%). Furthermore, we confirmed that parasitaemia of Haemoproteus infections was higher than average Plasmodium infections. Median parasitaemia levels were rather low (parasite cells in 0.01% of hosts’ red blood cells) and varied largely among the different parasite lineages. However, we found four individuals hosting infections with parasitaemia higher than typical chronic infections. Conclusions: Based on the known transmission areas of the respective lineages, we argue that these higher intensity infections might be relapses of consisting infections rather than acute phases of recent primary infections.
(Less)
- author
- Emmenegger, Tamara
LU
; Riello, Sara
; Schmid, Raffaella
; Serra, Lorenzo
; Spina, Fernando
and Hahn, Steffen
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023-08-17
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Haemoproteus, Migration strategy, Muscicapidae, Parasitaemia, Plasmodium
- in
- Acta Parasitologica
- volume
- 68
- issue
- 4
- pages
- 746 - 753
- publisher
- Springer
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:37589880
- scopus:85168114718
- ISSN
- 1230-2821
- DOI
- 10.1007/s11686-023-00710-0
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Funding Information: The main project funding was granted to SH by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF; 31003A_160265). TE received additional funding by the SNSF (P2EZP3_199968). We would like to thank Bill Buttemer for his general involvement and support during the field campaign of the ‘Avian Malaria project’ on Ventotene. We are also thankful to Andrea Ferri, Carlo Artese, Carmen Biondo, Francesco Giuntoli, Gaia Colombo, Giuditta Corno, Giulia Annichiarico, Ivan Maggini, Lisa Carrera, Luigi Malfatti, Marco Basile, Martina Zanetti, Redi Dendena, Roberto Bertoli, Roberto Rota and Vincenzo Alfano, plus anyone of the 2016 and 2017 team of volunteer ringers and ringing helpers, we might have missed. This publication is output no. 83 of the 'Progetto Piccole Isole' of ISPRA. Publisher Copyright: © 2023, The Author(s).
- id
- af3887ee-7320-42cc-80f3-d4bb605d17fc
- date added to LUP
- 2023-10-07 11:26:51
- date last changed
- 2024-04-19 02:04:45
@article{af3887ee-7320-42cc-80f3-d4bb605d17fc,
abstract = {{<p>Purpose: Avian haemosporidians are widespread parasites, occurring in many bird families and causing pathologies ranging from rather benign infections to highly virulent diseases. The state of knowledge about lineage-specific intensities of haemosporidian infection (i.e., parasitaemia) is mainly based on infection experiments conducted under laboratory conditions. The levels and range of parasitaemia in natural host–parasite associations as well as their influencing factor remain largely unexplored. Methods: Thus, we explored the parasitaemia of four songbird species (i.e., European Robins, Black and Common Redstarts and Whinchats) during migration by screening individuals upon landing on an insular passage site after extensive endurance flights to (1) describe their natural host–parasite associations, (2) quantify parasitaemia and (3) explore potential host- and parasite-related factors influencing parasitaemia. Results: We found 68% of Whinchats to be infected with haemosporidians, which is more frequent than any other of the studied host species (30–34%). Furthermore, we confirmed that parasitaemia of Haemoproteus infections was higher than average Plasmodium infections. Median parasitaemia levels were rather low (parasite cells in 0.01% of hosts’ red blood cells) and varied largely among the different parasite lineages. However, we found four individuals hosting infections with parasitaemia higher than typical chronic infections. Conclusions: Based on the known transmission areas of the respective lineages, we argue that these higher intensity infections might be relapses of consisting infections rather than acute phases of recent primary infections.</p>}},
author = {{Emmenegger, Tamara and Riello, Sara and Schmid, Raffaella and Serra, Lorenzo and Spina, Fernando and Hahn, Steffen}},
issn = {{1230-2821}},
keywords = {{Haemoproteus; Migration strategy; Muscicapidae; Parasitaemia; Plasmodium}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{08}},
number = {{4}},
pages = {{746--753}},
publisher = {{Springer}},
series = {{Acta Parasitologica}},
title = {{Avian Haemosporidians Infecting Short- and Long-Distance Migratory Old World Flycatcher Species and the Variation in Parasitaemia After Endurance Flights}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11686-023-00710-0}},
doi = {{10.1007/s11686-023-00710-0}},
volume = {{68}},
year = {{2023}},
}