Publications by authors named "Margarita Kazak"
Prevalence and local transmission of haemosporidian (Haemosporida) parasites in nestlings of birds of prey (Aves, Accipitriformes) in the temperate forests in Lithuania.
Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl
December 2024
Article Synopsis
- Wild birds of prey, particularly nestlings in Lithuania, are infected with haemosporidian parasites, which can harm their health.
- This study focused on three species—white-tailed eagles, lesser spotted eagles, and common buzzards—sampling their blood to identify the parasites present.
- Results showed a 30.5% overall prevalence of parasites among the nestlings, with the common buzzard having the highest rate at 80%, and revealed nine genetic lineages, five of which were new to science.
Investigations of host feeding behaviour in haematophagous insects are critical to assess transmission routes of vector-borne diseases. Understanding if a certain species has ornithophilic or mammalophilic feeding behaviour can facilitate future studies focused on pathogens transmission to and from certain host species. Culicoides Latreille (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are vectors of several pathogens, which include arboviruses, bacteria and parasites to a considerable diversity of vertebrate hosts.
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- The study focuses on understanding the diversity of parasites within the Haemosporida and their natural vectors, which have been inadequately researched so far.
- An integrative research approach involving insect dissection and molecular methods was employed to collect and analyze over 1,900 insect samples across four local sites in Lithuania.
- The results revealed that a significant percentage of the examined vectors carry parasite DNA and confirmed the efficacy of certain species as vectors, identifying new interactions and sporozoite lineages for the first time.
Trypanosoma species (Trypanosomatida, Kinetoplastea) are almost exclusively heteroxenous flagellated parasites, which have been extensively studied as the causative agents of severe trypanosomiasis in humans and domestic animals. However, the biology of avian trypanosomes remains insufficiently known, particularly in wildlife, despite information that some species might be pathogenic and affect the fitness of intensively infected individuals. Avian trypanosomes are cosmopolitans.
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