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High prevalence of haemosporidian parasites in Eurasian jays.

Yvonne R SchummNaemi Lederer-PonzerJuan F MaselloPetra Quillfeldt
Published in: Parasitology research (2024)
Avian haemosporidians are vector-borne parasites, infecting a great variety of birds. The order Passeriformes has the highest average infection probability; nevertheless, some common species of Passeriformes have been rather poorly studied. We investigated haemosporidians in one such species, the Eurasian jay Garrulus glandarius (Corvidae), from a forest population in Hesse, Central Germany. All individuals were infected with at least one haemosporidian genus (overall prevalence: 100%). The most common infection pattern was a mixed Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon infection, whereas no Plasmodium infection was detected. Results on lineage diversity indicate a rather pronounced host-specificity of Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon lineages infecting birds of the family Corvidae.
Keyphrases
  • plasmodium falciparum
  • single cell
  • high resolution
  • single molecule