Publicação
Prevalence and genetic diversity of avian malaria and related haemoparasites of wild birds from rehabilitation centres in mainland Portugal
| Resumo: | In the last decade, over 40% of bird species in Europe have experienced poor conservation status, with more than 30% of bird species in mainland Portugal threatened with extinction. Alongside anthropogenic factors, parasites and pathogens such as avian haemosporidians have been implicated in these population declines. Wildlife rehabilitation centres play an essential role in species conservation, providing valuable information on the transmission and pathogenicity of many agents and respective diseases affecting wild birds rarely sampled in nature. However, reports on haemosporidians in captive birds remain limited. In this study, the prevalence and genetic diversity of avian haemosporidians in 163 birds, including 89 birds from rehabilitation centres in mainland Portugal, 41 feral pigeons from Lisbon, and 33 exotic birds from veterinary clinics in Lisbon. A dual-methodology approach was implemented using molecular methods and morphological analysis of blood smears. An overall infection prevalence of 30.3% in the rehabilitation centres was found, with 19.1% infected with Haemoproteus, 13.5% infected with Leucocytozoon, and 1.1% infected with Plasmodium. Remarkably, 30% of the infected bird species at the centres had not been previously documented to harbour malaria parasites. The infection prevalence among feral pigeons was 100% for Haemoproteus columbae, with no other haemosporidians detected, and 0% among exotic birds. Were detected 19 different haemosporidian lineages, including 2 new lineages. Furthermore, we identified 10 new host–parasite interactions and 14 new geographical lineage records. This is the first study in Portugal to use a dual-methodology approach, resulting in the identification of the morphospecies for 5 lineages whose morphospecies were previously unknown, and the discovery of the molecular marker for the species Haemoproteus contortus. Strigiformes and birds admitted to rehabilitation due to debilitating diseases showed the highest probabilities of being infected with haemosporidians among birds brought to wildlife centres in Portugal, highlighting the reciprocal relationship between a debilitating state and blood parasite infection. This study revealed that birds infected with haemosporidians required longer rehabilitation periods, increasing economic costs for the centres and potentially impairing their survival prospects upon release. These findings underscore the importance of integrating haemosporidian infection considerations into rehabilitation protocols, highlighting the challenges posed by these infections in avian conservation and rehabilitation, including economic and logistical demands |
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| Autores principais: | Cruz, João Tomás Pires Teixeira Gomes da |
| Assunto: | Avian haemosporidians Treatment duration Haemoproteus Leucocytozoon Plasmodium Portugal Hemosporídeos aviários Duração de tratamento Haemoproteus Leucocytozoon Plasmodium Portugal |
| Ano: | 2024 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | dissertação de mestrado |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso embargado |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade de Lisboa |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Repositório da Universidade de Lisboa |
| Resumo: | In the last decade, over 40% of bird species in Europe have experienced poor conservation status, with more than 30% of bird species in mainland Portugal threatened with extinction. Alongside anthropogenic factors, parasites and pathogens such as avian haemosporidians have been implicated in these population declines. Wildlife rehabilitation centres play an essential role in species conservation, providing valuable information on the transmission and pathogenicity of many agents and respective diseases affecting wild birds rarely sampled in nature. However, reports on haemosporidians in captive birds remain limited. In this study, the prevalence and genetic diversity of avian haemosporidians in 163 birds, including 89 birds from rehabilitation centres in mainland Portugal, 41 feral pigeons from Lisbon, and 33 exotic birds from veterinary clinics in Lisbon. A dual-methodology approach was implemented using molecular methods and morphological analysis of blood smears. An overall infection prevalence of 30.3% in the rehabilitation centres was found, with 19.1% infected with Haemoproteus, 13.5% infected with Leucocytozoon, and 1.1% infected with Plasmodium. Remarkably, 30% of the infected bird species at the centres had not been previously documented to harbour malaria parasites. The infection prevalence among feral pigeons was 100% for Haemoproteus columbae, with no other haemosporidians detected, and 0% among exotic birds. Were detected 19 different haemosporidian lineages, including 2 new lineages. Furthermore, we identified 10 new host–parasite interactions and 14 new geographical lineage records. This is the first study in Portugal to use a dual-methodology approach, resulting in the identification of the morphospecies for 5 lineages whose morphospecies were previously unknown, and the discovery of the molecular marker for the species Haemoproteus contortus. Strigiformes and birds admitted to rehabilitation due to debilitating diseases showed the highest probabilities of being infected with haemosporidians among birds brought to wildlife centres in Portugal, highlighting the reciprocal relationship between a debilitating state and blood parasite infection. This study revealed that birds infected with haemosporidians required longer rehabilitation periods, increasing economic costs for the centres and potentially impairing their survival prospects upon release. These findings underscore the importance of integrating haemosporidian infection considerations into rehabilitation protocols, highlighting the challenges posed by these infections in avian conservation and rehabilitation, including economic and logistical demands |
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