Molecular prevalence and phylogenetic relationship of Haemoproteus and Plasmodium parasites of owls in Thailand: Data from a rehabilitation centre

Abstract

Owls are nocturnal raptors that are prevalently infected with haemosporidian parasites wordwide. These birds were commonly submitted to the Kasetsart University Raptor Rehabilitation Unit, Kasetsart University, Thailand and were examined using PCR-based methods for the presence of haemosporidian infections of by the genera Plasmodium and Haemoproteus . Blood samples from 167 individual owls belonging to 12 species common in Thailand were collected between September 2012 and February 2018. The overall prevalence of haemosporidians was 34.1%, with Haemoproteus infections (25.1%) being more prevalent than Plasmodium infections (9.0%). The prevalence of both Haemoproteus and Plasmodium parasites was similar in all seasons of the year. Molecular characterization revealed 17 new haemosporidian parasite lineages (11 Haemoproteus and six Plasmodium ), with genetic variation among partial cytochrome b sequences ranging from 0.0% to 3.6% in Haemoproteus lineages and 0.2%–8.8% in Plasmodium lineages. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all Haemoproteus lineages detected in owls appeared in one well-supported clade together with other parasites belonging to the Parahaemoproteus subgenus, indicating their close evolutionary relationship and common transmission modality by Culicoides biting midges. This study showes the existence of prominent non-described haemosporidian parasite diversity in Thai owls and provides baseline molecular information for further research on the genetic diversity of owl haemosporidian parasites. New DNA sequence information can be used for the diagnosis of owl infections, which have been often reported during rehabilitation planning.

Avian haemosporidian parasites of accipitriform raptors

“…In nine cases, the raptors were kept in zoos or rehabilitation centres together with birds of other orders featuring these parasite lineages. Hence, Lineage pACCBAD01 was detected in Accipiter badius (2) [68] and the owls Athene brama (2), Bubo sumatranus (2) and Tyto alba (4) in Thailand [69]. It differs by six bp from pPESA01, which was found in Anseriformes in the USA (8), Brazil (3), and Canada (2), in the white-tipped dove Leptotila verreauxi (2) in Uruguay, in the passeriform Phaeomyias murina (1) and Piprites chloris (1) in Brazil, in the pectoral sandpiper Calidris melanotos (1) in Alaska, and one great black hawk Buteogallus urubitinga in Brazil [70].…”

“…Lineage pMILANS06 was detected in Milvus migrans (1) in Spain [8], the Asian barred owlet Glaucidium cuculoides (1) in Thailand [69], the European turtle dove Streptopelia turtur (1) in Greece [85], the blue-spotted wood dove Turtur afer (1) in Gabon [82], and the European bee-eater Merops apiaster in Germany (2) and Portugal (1) [86]. The lineage is most similar to pNYC-NYC01 (9 bp difference), which was found in the king vulture Sarcoramphus papa (2) and other birds in the Sao Paolo Zoo in Brazil [87].…”

“…Lineage pTEPON02 was found in the crested serpent eagle Spilornis cheela (1), the Asian barred owlet Glaucidium cuculoides (1), and the buffy fish owl Ketupa ketupu (1) in Thailand [68,69], and in the common woodshrike Tephrodornis pondicerianus in Myanmar [75]. It is part of a clade featuring lineages detected mainly in owls in Southeast Asia.…”

Hemosporídeos parasitos (Haemosporida: Apicomplexa) em aves de rapina neotropicais: diversidade, abordagem integrativa e conservação

“…Diversos estudos têm demonstrado que se deve ter extrema atenção à infecção haemosporidiana em aves de cativeiro devido ao potencial risco epidemiológico, uma vez que as condições de cativeiro não refletem os ambientes naturais das espécies aviárias, criando assim uma comunidade não natural de microrganismos KING et al, 2015;CHAGAS et al, 2016;VALKIŪNAS;JIA et al, 2018;PORNPANOM et al, 2019). Vale ressaltar ainda que a prevalência da infecção haemosporidiana pode estar relacionada diretamente às próprias condições de cativeiro, onde as aves são mantidas muito próximas, além da limitação de movimentos, que pode facilitar a exposição das aves aos vetores .…”

“…Os estudos sobre hemosporídeos em aves de rapina de cativeiro são ainda mais raros. As sequências de hemosporídeos depositadas no MalAvi, por meio dos estudos com aves cativas, correspondem a 2.86% do total, e dessas apenas 0.46% são de aves de rapina, pertencentes a apenas dez estudos (EJIRI et al, 2011;PACHECO et al, 2011;TANIGAWA et al, 2013;BUKAUSKAITE et al, 2015;CHAGAS et al, 2017;INUMARU et al, 2017;TOSTES et al, 2017;PORNPANOM et al, 2019;VALKIŪNAS et al, 2019;NARDONI et al, 2020). Assim, mesmo sabendo que existem outros estudos com aves de rapina de cativeiro que não inserem as sequências no MalAvi (ex.…”