Recent advances in the study of avian malaria: an overview with an emphasis on the distribution of Plasmodium spp in Brazil

Braga, Érika Martins; Balthazar, Patricia; Belo, Nayara O.; Valkiūnas, Gediminas

doi:10.1590/s0074-02762011000900002

Cited by 77 publications

(50 citation statements)

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“…Additionally, we observed a low apparent prevalence rate of haematozoa infection in our samples (3.1%) and evidence for host specificity for Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon parasites infecting waterfowl species. While the current investigation extends the available data for haematozoa infections in South American waterfowl, additional studies may be useful to better understand the ecology of blood parasites in Neotropical birds (Braga et al, 2011, Clark et al, 2014). Sampling a range of host species including passerines, waterfowl, and other taxa at specific locations through time could provide important information for further assessment of parasite exchange and seasonality of transmission.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

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

Smith

Ramey

2015

International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

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

Smith

Ramey

2015

International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife

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“…Recent reviews of this rapidly emerging field have focussed primarily on the advantages and disadvantages of molecular and microscopic methods [53, 54]. However, a combination of two techniques is deemed essential for reliable estimates of prevalence across comparative studies and identification of competent hosts [20].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating prevalence of avian haemosporidians in natural populations: a comparative study on screening protocols

et al. 2017

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BackgroundBirds harbour an astonishing diversity of haemosporidian parasites. Renewed interest in avian haemosporidians as a model system has placed a greater emphasis on the development of screening protocols to estimate parasite prevalence and diversity. Prevalence estimates are often based on the molecular or blood-smear microscopy techniques. However, variation in diagnostic sensitivity among screening methodologies represents a potential source of bias that may lead to erroneous inference in comparisons of prevalence across studies. Here, we analyzed a suite of blood samples for the presence of parasites using four diagnostic tools and compared method-specific estimates of detection probability to assess the relative performance of screening strategies.MethodsWe screened a total of 394 bird blood samples collected in India (n = 203) and Sweden (n = 191) for the combined presence of Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon with three PCR assays: (i) qPCR; (ii) restriction enzyme-based assay; and (iii) nested protocol. In addition, we examined blood smears for estimates of parasite intensity which was further screened using qPCR method to evaluate if parasite intensity shows a relationship with qPCR (Ct values). Furthermore, we used single infected samples from parasite intensities: low, medium, high, very high to establish the reproducibility in qPCR.ResultsFor the combined data sets from India and Sweden, detection probability for submicroscopic and low intensity infections was highest for the qPCR method, followed by the nested protocol and the restriction enzyme-based assay. For high parasite intensities, the qPCR had high PCR reproducibility, with three out of three PCR replicates being positive and with consistent Ct values across all tenfold dilution series. For parasite intensities at very low and submicroscopic samples, the qPCR was reproducible in one out of the three replicates. The intensity of parasitemia estimated from smears showed inverse relationship with Ct values in both the Indian and Swedish data sets.ConclusionsOur study highlights the importance of accounting for methodological issues to better estimate infection in parasitological studies and illustrates how a wider deployment of diagnostic tools combined with statistical approaches is needed for each study, in order to provide adequate insight into the most appropriate approach to avoid erroneous inferences.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-017-2066-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…A further explanation for differences in observed urban patterns is the possibility that some studies may not detect microscopic parasites using blood smears (Braga, Silveira, Belo, & Valkiünas, 2011). For example, while Evans et al (2009) found a reduced prevalence of blood parasites in 8 out of 11 European cities studied using microscopy as the method of detection, Belo, Pinheiro, Reis, Ricklefs, and Braga (2011) found higher prevalence in Brazil using microscopy and molecular methods.…”

Section: Spatial Patterns Along An Urbanisation Gradientmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parasite–bird interactions in urban areas: Current evidence and emerging questions

Delgado-V

French

2012

Landscape and Urban Planning

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Recent advances in the study of avian malaria: an overview with an emphasis on the distribution of Plasmodium spp in Brazil

Cited by 77 publications

References 79 publications

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

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

Estimating prevalence of avian haemosporidians in natural populations: a comparative study on screening protocols

Parasite–bird interactions in urban areas: Current evidence and emerging questions

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