title: Haemosporidian parasites of a European passerine wintering in South Asia: diversity, mixed infections and effect on host condition.
abstract: We studied haemosporidian parasites in the scarlet rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus in a small isolated semicolony during an eight-year period using molecular methods of parasite detection. The scarlet rosefinch is an interesting model of parasite host species. It winters in South Asia which represents a rare exception among European passerines. Males express yellow to red carotenoid-based plumage ornament which is a good predictor of male reproductive success. In 240 blood samples originating from 199 adult individuals, the total parasite prevalence reached 60%. Prevalence varied among years from 36 to 81% in Haemoproteus, 8 to 22% in Plasmodium, and 0 to 14% in Leucocytozoon. Twenty parasite lineages were detected (Haemoproteus: 5 lineages, Plasmodium: 10 lineages, and Leucocytozoon: 5 lineages). Among them, the Haemoproteus ROFI2 lineage, which is a host-specific parasite lineage of the scarlet rosefinch, was the most frequently found. Parasite lineages showed varying degree of lineage specificity. While Haemoproteus lineages detected in the scarlet rosefinch have relatively narrow host breadth restricted mainly to Fringillidae family, Leucocytozoon and Plasmodium lineages generally showed wider host range. The presence of some parasite lineages hitherto detected in sedentary European passerines (SISKIN1, CCF3, BT2) or in Culicoides biting midges at the same locality (ROFI1) suggest local transmission. On the contrary, lineages LK05 and FANTAIL1 that were previously reported exclusively from Asian hosts imply parasite transmission at the scarlet rosefinch wintering sites in South Asia. Mixed infections were found in 17% of infected samples and comprised mainly the most frequent lineages. The pattern of concomitant infections seemed to be rather random and matched expected levels based on lineage frequencies. Between-year comparisons revealed that in a majority of the repeatedly captured individual hosts the infection status remained unchanged (individuals stayed uninfected or possessed the same parasite lineages). However, 16 gains and 8 losses of lineages were also reported. We have not found any effect of haemosporidians on male carotenoid ornament expression or host body mass.
authors: Department of Zoology, Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Science, Viničná 7, 128 44, Prague 2, Czech Republic. synek85@gmail.com
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Synek
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Albrecht
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Vinkler
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Schnitzer
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Votýpka
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Munclinger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001208:Asia; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D001769:Blood / Q000469:parasitology; D060085:Coinfection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary; D005060:Europe; D016787:Haemosporida / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008297:Male; D046109:Passeriformes; D015995:Prevalence; D011529:Protozoan Infections, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology*
references: Oecologia. 2005 Feb;142(4):541-5
references: 15688214
references: J Evol Biol. 2009 Oct;22(10):2020-30
references: 19678863
references: Parasitol Res. 2008 May;102(6):1185-93
references: 18270739
references: J Parasitol. 2002 Aug;88(4):819-22
references: 12197145
references: Parasitol Res. 2012 Nov;111(5):2137-42
references: 22855242
references: Ecology. 2009 Oct;90(10):2840-9
references: 19886492
references: Naturwissenschaften. 2010 Jan;97(1):19-28
references: 19680618
references: Proc Biol Sci. 2002 May 7;269(1494):885-92
references: 12028770
references: J Parasitol. 2009 Oct;95(5):1171-6
references: 19331441
references: J Anim Ecol. 2007 Jan;76(1):112-22
references: 17184359
references: Mol Ecol. 2011 Mar;20(5):1062-76
references: 21073677
references: Ecol Lett. 2008 Mar;11(3):258-65
references: 18070099
references: Parasitol Res. 2008 Oct;103(5):1213-28
references: 18668264
references: Parasitol Res. 2007 Sep;101(4):1153-6
references: 17514379
references: Mol Ecol. 2007 Mar;16(6):1281-90
references: 17391413
references: Mol Ecol. 2002 Aug;11(8):1545-54
references: 12144673
references: Proc Biol Sci. 2005 Jul 22;272(1571):1511-8
references: 16011927
references: Mol Ecol. 2007 Aug;16(15):3263-73
references: 17651202
references: J Evol Biol. 2010 Mar;23(3):557-69
references: 20070458
references: PLoS One. 2011;6(7):e21905
references: 21779353
references: Evolution. 2004 Jul;58(7):1617-21
references: 15341164
references: Parasitol Res. 2009 Apr;104(5):1061-77
references: 19107524
references: Int J Parasitol. 2009 Jan;39(2):257-66
references: 18713636
references: Proc Biol Sci. 2000 Aug 7;267(1452):1583-9
references: 11007335
references: Proc Biol Sci. 2006 Dec 7;273(1604):2935-44
references: 17015360
references: J Parasitol. 2006 Dec;92(6):1319-24
references: 17304814
references: J Parasitol. 2006 Oct;92(5):1043-9
references: 17152948
references: J Parasitol. 2006 Oct;92(5):1123-5
references: 17152968
references: J Parasitol. 2003 Oct;89(5):1044-7
references: 14627154
references: Exp Parasitol. 2008 May;119(1):99-110
references: 18280472
references: PLoS One. 2007 Feb 21;2(2):e235
references: 17311104
references: Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2005 Sep;36(3):669-81
references: 16099383
references: Mol Ecol. 2011 Aug;20(15):3084-6
references: 21901870
references: J Evol Biol. 2008 Jul;21(4):979-87
references: 18462316
references: Parasitology. 2006 Dec;133(Pt 6):685-92
references: 16948874
references: Proc Biol Sci. 2000 Dec 22;267(1461):2507-10
references: 11197126
references: Parasitol Res. 2013 Feb;112(2):839-45
references: 23224608
references: J Parasitol. 2009 Dec;95(6):1512-5
references: 19522549
references: J Parasitol. 2012 Jun;98(3):657-65
references: 22288487
references: Oecologia. 2001 Jan;126(2):166-173
references: 28547614
references: Exp Parasitol. 2008 Dec;120(4):372-80
references: 18809402
references: J Wildl Dis. 2005 Jul;41(3):532-41
references: 16244063
references: Mol Ecol Resour. 2009 Sep;9(5):1353-8
references: 21564906
references: J Parasitol. 2004 Aug;90(4):797-802
references: 15357072
references: Mol Ecol. 2006 Mar;15(3):753-63
references: 16499700
references: Exp Parasitol. 2011 Feb;127(2):527-33
references: 21050849