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Diversity and distribution of avian haematozoan parasites in the western Indian Ocean region: a molecular survey

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 November 2011

FARAH ISHTIAQ ,
JON S. BEADELL ,
BEN H.WARREN  and
ROBERT C. FLEISCHER
FARAH ISHTIAQ*
Affiliation:
Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics, National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution, 3001, Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington DC 20008-0551, USA
JON S. BEADELL
Affiliation:
Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics, National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution, 3001, Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington DC 20008-0551, USA
BEN H.WARREN
Affiliation:
UMR C53 PVBMT, CIRAD-Université de La Réunion, 7 chemin de l'IRAT, Ligne Paradis, 97410 Saint Pierre, Réunion, France
ROBERT C. FLEISCHER
Affiliation:
Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics, National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution, 3001, Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington DC 20008-0551, USA
*
*Corresponding author: Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics, National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution, 3001, Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington DC 20008-0551, USA. Tel: +1 202 603 4190. Fax: +1 202 673 0040. E-mail: farahishtiaq@yahoo.com
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Summary

The genetic diversity of haematozoan parasites in island avifauna has only recently begun to be explored, despite the potential insight that these data can provide into the history of association between hosts and parasites and the possible threat posed to island endemics. We used mitochondrial DNA sequencing to characterize the diversity of 2 genera of vector-mediated parasites (Plasmodium and Haemoproteus) in avian blood samples from the western Indian Ocean region and explored their relationship with parasites from continental Africa. We detected infections in 68 out of 150 (45 3%) individuals and cytochrome b sequences identified 9 genetically distinct lineages of Plasmodium spp. and 7 lineages of Haemoproteus spp. We found considerable heterogeneity in parasite lineage composition across islands, although limited sampling may, in part, be responsible for perceived differences. Two lineages of Plasmodium spp. and 2 lineages of Haemoproteus spp. were shared by hosts in the Indian Ocean and also on mainland Africa, suggesting that these lineages may have arrived relatively recently. Polyphyly of island parasites indicated that these parasites were unlikely to constitute an endemic radiation and instead probably represent multiple colonization events. This study represents the first molecular survey of vector-mediated parasites in the western Indian Ocean, and has uncovered a diversity of parasites. Full understanding of parasite community composition and possible threats to endemic avian hosts will require comprehensive surveys across the avifauna of this region.

Keywords

AfricaHaemoproteushaematozoan parasiteswestern Indian OceanPlasmodium
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 139 , Issue 2 , February 2012 , pp. 221 - 231
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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