Avian Hematozoa in South America: A Comparison of Temperate and Tropical Zones

Abstract

We used screening techniques based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to explore the avian hematozoan parasites (Plasmodium spp. and Haemoproteus spp.) of two previously uninvestigated regions of continental South America. Comparisons of tropicalzone Guyana and temperate-zone Uruguay revealed that overall prevalence of Plasmodium and Haemoproteus species detected in a diverse sampling of potential hosts was significantly higher in Guyana. The difference in prevalence between the two geographic zones appears to be attributable to ecological differences rather than taxonomic sampling artifacts. Diversity of hematozoan haplotypes was also higher in Guyana. We found no relationship between hematozoan haplotype and host family sampled within or between regions. We found very few Plasmodium and no Haemoproteus haplotypes shared between the two regions, and evidence of geographic structuring of hematozoan haplotypes between the two regions. We suggest that a lack of hematozoan haplotype transmission between the two regions may be attributable to the migratory patterns of each region's avian hosts.

Host species, and not environment, predicts variation in blood parasite prevalence, distribution, and diversity along a humidity gradient in northern South America

“…In addition, the one Plasmodium lineage infecting Manacus manacus has been previously found in another species of piprid (Blue‐crowned Manakin, Lepidothrix coronata ) in Ecuador, Brazil, and Costa Rica (Bosholn, Fecchio, Silveira, Braga, & Anciães, ; Moens & Pérez‐Tris, ). All three haplotypes that did not match MalAvi sequences (Table ) were closely related to lineages found in Neotropical birds of the same or closely related avian families (Beadell et al., ; Durrant et al., ; Lacorte et al., ). For instance, our Haemoproteus lineage MAMA01 (found in the manakin Manacus manacus ) was sister to Malavi′s LEPCOR03, which has been reported in other manakins ( Lepidothrix coronata and Chiroxiphia pareola ), as well as in other species of suboscines (Figure ).…”

“…Although we still lack a comprehensive understanding of the diversity, host breadth, and geographic distribution of avian haemosporidian lineages in northern South America, our results suggest that the Magdalena River Valley likely harbors several generalist parasites because at least two Plasmodium lineages (PADOM 11 and Plasmodium nucleophilum ‐DENPET03) and one Haemoproteus ( H. coatneyi ) infecting Eucometis penicillata have been found in multiple hosts and areas in the Americas, including the Antilles and North America (Durrant et al., ; González, Lotta, García, Moncada, & Matta, ; Harrigan et al., ; Kimura, Darbro, & Harrington, ; Lacorte et al., ; Levin et al., ; Marzal et al., ; Moens & Pérez‐Tris, ; Oakgrove et al., ; Ricklefs et al., ; Roos, Belo, Silveira, & Braga, ; Smith & Ramey, ). In addition, the one Plasmodium lineage infecting Manacus manacus has been previously found in another species of piprid (Blue‐crowned Manakin, Lepidothrix coronata ) in Ecuador, Brazil, and Costa Rica (Bosholn, Fecchio, Silveira, Braga, & Anciães, ; Moens & Pérez‐Tris, ).…”

Prevalence and genetic diversity of haematozoa in South American waterfowl and evidence for intercontinental redistribution of parasites by migratory birds

“…(1978) reported an overall prevalence of haematozoa in avian species to be approximately 10.5%. Subsequent studies conducted in Colombia (Valkiūnas et al, 2003, Moreno et al, 2008), Guyana, and Uruguay (Durrant et al., 2006) reported apparent prevalence rates of haematozoa infections in birds of 7.8–42.1%. The low level of haematozoa infection we detected in waterfowl sampled from two regions of South America during the dry season (3.1%) was comparable to apparent prevalence rates for Haemoproteus, Plasmodium , and Leucocytozoon parasites in waterfowl sampled throughout the Neotropics (2.2%) as reported by White et al.…”

“…White et al, 1978, Bennett et al, 1991, Valkiūnas et al, 2003, Durrant et al, 2006); however, very little work has been conducted on waterfowl species. White et al.…”

Host associations and evolutionary relationships of avian blood parasites from West Africa

“…Excluding a few host taxa restricted to extreme arctic environments (Bennett et al, 1992) and perhaps several remote island taxa (Steadman et al, 1990; Beadell et al, 2007), the vast majority of bird species are hosts to avian haematozoa. Recent application of sensitive molecular techniques to the detection of haematozoa have revealed an extremely broad diversity of parasite lineages (Bensch, 2000; Ricklefs and Fallon, 2002; Beadell et al, 2004; Durrant et al, 2006; Ishtiaq et al, 2007; Hellgren et al, 2007a), calling into question previous morphological species limits (Beadell et al, 2006; Hellgren et al, 2007b) and raising the possibility that haematozoan species diversity is on the order of avian species diversity (Bensch et al, 2004) or even higher. Supporting this hypothesis, single host species have been shown to harbor between five and 34 distinct parasite mitochondrial lineages (Fallon et al, 2006; Ishtiaq et al, 2006; Kimura et al, 2006; Bensch et al, 2007; Durrant et al, 2007; Wood et al, 2007), and evidence from corresponding nuclear sequence data suggests that at least some mitochondrial parasite lineages may represent reproductively-isolated units (Bensch et al, 2000; Hellgren et al, 2007a).…”