title: Prevalence and diversity of avian haematozoan parasites in wetlands of bangladesh.
abstract: The parasites of genera Haemoproteus, Plasmodium, and Leucocytozoon are well-known avian haematozoa and can cause declined productivity and high mortality in wild birds. The objective of the study was to record the prevalence of haematozoan parasites in a wide range of wetland birds in Bangladesh. Six species of Haemoproteus, seven species of Plasmodium, one unidentified species of Leucocytozoon, and one unidentified microfilaria of the genus Paronchocerca were found. Data on the morphology, size, hosts, prevalence, and infection intensity of the parasites are provided. The overall prevalence among the birds was 29.5% (95 out of 322 birds). Of those, 13.2% (42 of 319) of birds were infected with Haemoproteus spp., 15.1% with Plasmodium spp. (48 of 319) and 0.6% with Leucocytozoon spp. (2 of 319). Two birds were positive for both Haemoproteus sp. and Plasmodium sp. A single resident bird, Ardeola grayii, was found positive for an unidentified microfilaria. Prevalence of infection varied significantly among different bird families. Wild birds of Bangladesh carry several types of haematozoan parasites. Further investigation with a larger sample size is necessary to estimate more accurately the prevalence of haematozoan parasites among wild birds as well as domestic ducks for better understanding of the disease ecology.
authors.affiliation: International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh ; Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Little Rock, AR 72205, USA.
authors.forename: Rubayet
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1784-6462
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Elahi
authors.affiliation: International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Ausraful
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9608-0823
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Islam
authors.affiliation: International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Mohammad Sharif
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9876-7722
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Hossain
authors.affiliation: International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Khaja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mohiuddin
authors.affiliation: International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mikolon
authors.affiliation: International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Suman Kumer
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.affiliation: EcoHealth Alliance, New York, NY 10001, USA.
authors.forename: Parviez Rana
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Hosseini
authors.affiliation: EcoHealth Alliance, New York, NY 10001, USA.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Daszak
authors.affiliation: International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Mohammad Shafiul
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8330-5499
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Alam