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Host specificity in avian blood parasites: a study of Plasmodium and Haemoproteus mitochondrial DNA amplified from birds

Bensch, Staffan LU ; Stjernman, Martin LU orcid ; Hasselquist, Dennis LU ; Östman, Örjan ; Hansson, Bengt LU orcid ; Westerdahl, Helena LU and Pinheiro, RT (2000) In Royal Society of London. Proceedings B. Biological Sciences 267(1452). p.1583-1589
Abstract
A fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of avian malaria (genera Haemoproteus and Plasmodium) was amplified from blood samples of 12 species of passerine birds from the genera Acrocephalus, Phylloscopus and Parus. By sequencing 478 nucleotides of the obtained fragments, we found 17 different mitocholdrial haplotypes of Haemoproteus or Plasmodium among the 12 bird species investigated. Only one out of the: 17 haplotypes was found in more than one host species, this exception being a haplotype detected in both blue tits (Parus caeruleus) and great tits (Parus major). The phylogenetic tree which was constructed grouped the sequences into two clades, most probably representing Haemoproteus and Plasmodium, respectively. We found two... (More)
A fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of avian malaria (genera Haemoproteus and Plasmodium) was amplified from blood samples of 12 species of passerine birds from the genera Acrocephalus, Phylloscopus and Parus. By sequencing 478 nucleotides of the obtained fragments, we found 17 different mitocholdrial haplotypes of Haemoproteus or Plasmodium among the 12 bird species investigated. Only one out of the: 17 haplotypes was found in more than one host species, this exception being a haplotype detected in both blue tits (Parus caeruleus) and great tits (Parus major). The phylogenetic tree which was constructed grouped the sequences into two clades, most probably representing Haemoproteus and Plasmodium, respectively. We found two to four different parasite mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes in four bird species. The phylogenetic tree obtained from the mtDNA of the parasites matched the phylogenetic tree of the bird hosts poorly For example, the two tit species and the willow warbler (Phylloscopus troclilus) carried parasites differing by only 0.6% sequence divergence, suggesting that Haemoproteus shift both between species within the same genus and also between species in different families. Hence, host shifts seem to have occurred repeatedly in this parasite-host system. We discuss this in terms of the possilble evolutionary consequences for these bird species. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Royal Society of London. Proceedings B. Biological Sciences
volume
267
issue
1452
pages
1583 - 1589
publisher
Royal Society Publishing
external identifiers
  • scopus:0034617941
ISSN
1471-2954
DOI
10.1098/rspb.2000.1181
project
Malaria in birds
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e01ae029-4306-49d8-8f56-38d558872db8 (old id 145957)
alternative location
http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2000.1181
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:19:55
date last changed
2022-04-21 05:48:12
@article{e01ae029-4306-49d8-8f56-38d558872db8,
  abstract     = {{A fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of avian malaria (genera Haemoproteus and Plasmodium) was amplified from blood samples of 12 species of passerine birds from the genera Acrocephalus, Phylloscopus and Parus. By sequencing 478 nucleotides of the obtained fragments, we found 17 different mitocholdrial haplotypes of Haemoproteus or Plasmodium among the 12 bird species investigated. Only one out of the: 17 haplotypes was found in more than one host species, this exception being a haplotype detected in both blue tits (Parus caeruleus) and great tits (Parus major). The phylogenetic tree which was constructed grouped the sequences into two clades, most probably representing Haemoproteus and Plasmodium, respectively. We found two to four different parasite mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes in four bird species. The phylogenetic tree obtained from the mtDNA of the parasites matched the phylogenetic tree of the bird hosts poorly For example, the two tit species and the willow warbler (Phylloscopus troclilus) carried parasites differing by only 0.6% sequence divergence, suggesting that Haemoproteus shift both between species within the same genus and also between species in different families. Hence, host shifts seem to have occurred repeatedly in this parasite-host system. We discuss this in terms of the possilble evolutionary consequences for these bird species.}},
  author       = {{Bensch, Staffan and Stjernman, Martin and Hasselquist, Dennis and Östman, Örjan and Hansson, Bengt and Westerdahl, Helena and Pinheiro, RT}},
  issn         = {{1471-2954}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1452}},
  pages        = {{1583--1589}},
  publisher    = {{Royal Society Publishing}},
  series       = {{Royal Society of London. Proceedings B. Biological Sciences}},
  title        = {{Host specificity in avian blood parasites: a study of Plasmodium and Haemoproteus mitochondrial DNA amplified from birds}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/2879868/625076.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.1098/rspb.2000.1181}},
  volume       = {{267}},
  year         = {{2000}},
}