Comparative lipidomic profiling of parasite‐infected and non‐infected Northern saw‐whet owls.

Abstract

Haematozoa are present in avian species around the world. In some cases, parasite infection may be fatal. For example, Plasmodium and Leucocytozoon cause avian malaria and anemia, respectively, which can be detrimental to host species. These parasites are responsible for massive reductions in the populations of birds native to Hawaii, the Galapagos, and other archipelagos. However, the same parasites have seemingly benign effects in other avian species. Here, we use liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry to analyze lipid profiles and study host‐parasite interactions in a population of Northern saw‐whet owls (Aegolius acadicus) known to be infected with Leucocytozoon (49.5%), Plasmodium (10%), Haemoproteus (5%), and Trypanosoma (2.9%). Fragment ions from MS/MS analyses revealed major classes of glycerophospholipids, including phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidylcholine (PC). Comparison of the total lipid profiles of infected and non‐infected owls revealed distinct features (p < 0.001) between the two groups in the negative‐ (30) and positive‐ion (376) mode. The lower levels (>1.7‐fold difference) of PC in infected individuals suggests haematozoa infections may influence lipid production, which may impact the health of birds. Further investigations can advance our understanding of bird physiology and the role lipid biomarkers may play in the conservation of parasite‐susceptible avian species.Support or Funding InformationSupported by National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation Grant #1039659.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.