AI Article Synopsis
- Native European passerine birds can carry haemosporidian parasites known as Plasmodium without showing symptoms, but they may contribute to mortality in some cases.
- A study examined 233 dead wild passerine birds in Eastern Austria using tissue analysis, finding that 14.6% tested positive for significant Plasmodium development, mirroring fatal avian malaria cases in penguins.
- Genetic analysis identified infections from three Plasmodium species and linked them to previous findings in zoo penguins, highlighting the role of wild birds as potential reservoirs for these parasites.
Article Abstract
Native European passerine birds are frequently clinically inapparent carriers of haemosporidian parasites of the genus Plasmodium. Clinical disease and death are only exceptionally reported. In the present study, tissue samples of 233 wild passerine birds found dead in Eastern Austria were examined by in situ hybridization (ISH) and partial cytochrome B gene sequence analysis for the presence, abundance and taxonomic assignment of Plasmodium spp. In 34 cases (14.6%), ISH yielded a positive result with large numbers of developmental stages in different cell types of the spleen, liver, brain and lung. The abundance of the tissue stages, which was comparable to fatal cases of avian malaria in penguins, suggested a major contribution to the cause of death. Genetic analysis revealed infections with representatives of three different valid species of Plasmodium, Plasmodium elongatum, Plasmodium lutzi and Plasmodium vaughani. Genetically identical parasite lineages had been found in a previous study in penguins kept in the Vienna zoo, providing evidence for the role of wild birds as reservoir hosts. Further, this study provides evidence that several species of Plasmodium are able to abundantly proliferate in endemic wild birds ultimately resulting in mortalities.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00436-015-4328-z | DOI Listing |
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