title: Prevalence of filarioid nematodes and trypanosomes in American robins and house sparrows, Chicago USA.
abstract: Hosts are commonly infected with a suite of parasites, and interactions among these parasites can affect the size, structure, and behavior of host-parasite communities. As an important step to understanding the significance of co-circulating parasites, we describe prevalence of co-circulating hemoparasites in two important avian amplification hosts for West Nile virus (WNV), the American robin (Turdus migratorius) and house sparrow (Passer domesticus), during the 2010-2011 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Rates of nematode microfilariemia were 1.5% of the robins (n = 70) and 4.2% of the house sparrows (n = 72) collected during the day and 11.1% of the roosting robins (n = 63) and 0% of the house sparrows (n = 11) collected at night. Phylogenetic analysis of nucleotide sequences of the 18S rRNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) genes from these parasites resolved two clades of filarioid nematodes. Microscopy revealed that 18.0% of American robins (n = 133) and 16.9% of house sparrows (n = 83) hosted trypanosomes in the blood. Phylogenetic analysis of nucleotide sequences from the 18s rRNA gene revealed that the trypanosomes fall within previously described avian trypanosome clades. These results document hemoparasites in the blood of WNV hosts in a center of endemic WNV transmission, suggesting a potential for direct or indirect interactions with the virus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Gabriel L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Hamer
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA ; Virus and Prion Diseases Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA-ARS, Ames, IA, USA.
authors.forename: Tavis K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Garrett E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Berry
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Alvin P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Makohon-Moore
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Crafton
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Brawn
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Amanda C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Dolinski
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Bethany L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Krebs
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Marilyn O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Patrick M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Muzzall
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
authors.forename: Tony L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Goldberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Edward D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Walker
keywords: American robin; Culex mosquitoes; Filarioid nematodes; House sparrow; Trypanosomes; West Nile virus