title: Low prevalence of blood parasites in a long-distance migratory raptor: the importance of host habitat.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The low prevalence of blood parasites in some bird species may be related to the habitats they frequent, the inexistence of the right host-parasite assemblage or the immunological capacity of the host. Here, we assess the parasite load of breeding populations of Eleonora's falcon (Falco eleonorae), a medium-sized long-distance migratory raptor that breeds on small isolated islets throughout the Mediterranean basin and overwinters in inland Madagascar.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the prevalence and genetic diversity of the blood parasites belonging to the genera Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon in Eleonora's falcon nestlings from five colonies and in adults from two colonies from nesting sites distributed throughout most of the species' breeding range.
  
  
  RESULTS
  None of the 282 nestlings analysed were infected by blood parasites; on the other hand, the lineages of Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon were all found to infect adults. Our results support the idea of no local transmission of vector-borne parasites in marine habitats. Adult Eleonora's falcons thus may be infected by parasites when on migration or in their wintering areas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The characteristics of marine environments with a lack of appropriate vectors may thus be the key factor determining the absence of local transmission of blood parasites. By comparing the parasite lineages isolated in this species with those previously found in other birds we were able to infer the most likely areas for the transmission of the various parasite lineages.
authors.affiliation: Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), C/Américo Vespucio, s/n, E-41092, Seville, Spain. rgutierrez@ebd.csic.es.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez-López
authors.affiliation: Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), C/Américo Vespucio, s/n, E-41092, Seville, Spain. laurag@ebd.csic.es.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gangoso
authors.affiliation: Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), C/Américo Vespucio, s/n, E-41092, Seville, Spain. jmp@ebd.csic.es.
authors.forename: Josué
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martínez-de la Puente
authors.affiliation: Hellenic Ornithological Society, Themistokleous str. 80, 10681, Athens, Greece. jakobfric@n2c.gr.
authors.forename: Jakob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fric
authors.affiliation: Vertebrates Zoology Research Group, University of Alicante, E-03080, Alicante, Spain. lopez.pascual@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Pascual
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: López-López
authors.affiliation: Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), C/Américo Vespucio, s/n, E-41092, Seville, Spain. melanie.mailleux@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mélanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mailleux
authors.affiliation: Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), C/Américo Vespucio, s/n, E-41092, Seville, Spain. quini@ebd.csic.es.
authors.forename: Joaquín
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Muñoz
authors.affiliation: Biology and Ecology Department, University of Constantine, 25017, Constantine, Algeria. laidt9@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Laïd
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Touati
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Recherche et de Conservation des Zones Humides, University of Guelma, 24000, Guelma, Algeria. bsamraoui@yahoo.fr.|Centre of Excellence for Research in Biodiversity, King Saud University, 12643, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. bsamraoui@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Boudjema
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Samraoui
authors.affiliation: Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), C/Américo Vespucio, s/n, E-41092, Seville, Spain. jordi@ebd.csic.es.
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Figuerola
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D025041:Animal Migration; D000818:Animals; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D046093:Falconiformes; D019083:Mediterranean Region / Q000453:epidemiology; D011529:Protozoan Infections, Animal / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology