Open AccessBlood-parasites (Haemosporida) of wild birds captured at different land uses within a tropical seasonal dry forest matrix
Author(s) -
Merit González-Olvera,
Arturo Hernández-Colina,
Diego Santiago-Alarcón,
Marcela OsorioBeristain,
José Juan Martínez-Maya
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
acta zoológica mexicana
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2448-8445
pISSN - 0065-1737
DOI - 10.21829/azm.2022.3812425
Subject(s) - haemoproteus , parasitemia , microfilaria , biology , plasmodium (life cycle) , nest (protein structural motif) , parasite hosting , zoology , malaria , ecology , veterinary medicine , plasmodium falciparum , helminths , filariasis , gametocyte , immunology , medicine , biochemistry , world wide web , computer science
Avian haemosporidians form a diverse group of vector-borne parasites that can cause detrimental effects on their hosts and threaten the conservation of susceptible species. We explored the prevalence and parasitemia of haemosporidians infecting wild birds from Sierra de Huautla Biosphere Reserve in Morelos, southern Mexico. Birds were caught using mist nets in three habitat conditions (conserved, disturbed, and agricultural) and during two seasons (rainy and dry). Thin blood smears were prepared from blood samples for microscopic analysis. We captured 142 birds belonging to 17 species. We identified Haemoproteus spp., Plasmodium spp., and microfilaria. Prevalence was similar among land-use types (conserved (26.3%), disturbed (36.4%) and agricultural (29.9%)), and between seasons (rainy (29.7%) and dry (29.3%)), but varied per parasite genus and group (Haemoproteus spp. (28.2%), Plasmodium spp. (2.1%), coinfections (5.6%), and microfilaria (4.9%)). Parasitemia was low in most birds ( 0.5%). We reported for the first time 12 species of birds infected with haemosporidian parasites and 16 new host-parasite associations in total. This is the first study of blood parasites in this region and provides fundamental information for future research.