Title

Prevalence and Differential Host‐Specificity of Two Avian Blood Parasite Genera in the Australo‐Papuan Region

Authors

Jon S. Beadell, University of Maryland; Smithsonian Institution
Eben Gering, United States Geological Survey; Smithsonian InstitutionFollow
Jeremy Austin, Museum Victoria - Melbourne, Australia
John P. Dumbacher, California Academy of Sciences; Smithsonian Institution
Mike A. Peirce, MP International Consultancy - Berkshire, United Kingdom
Thane K. Pratt, United States Geological Survey
Carter T. Atkinson, United States Geological Survey
Robert C. Fleischer, Smithsonian Institution

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-15-2004

Publication Title

Molecular Ecology

Keywords

Australia, Avian malaria, Haemoproteus, Host-specificity, Papua New Guinea, Plasmodium

ISSN

0962-1083

Volume

13

Issue/No.

12

First Page

3829

Last Page

3844

Abstract

The degree to which widespread avian blood parasites in the genera Plasmodium and Haemoproteus pose a threat to novel hosts depends in part on the degree to which they are constrained to a particular host or host family. We examined the host distribution and host‐specificity of these parasites in birds from two relatively understudied and isolated locations: Australia and Papua New Guinea. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), we detected infection in 69 of 105 species, representing 44% of individuals surveyed (n = 428). Across host families, prevalence of Haemoproteus ranged from 13% (Acanthizidae) to 56% (Petroicidae) while prevalence of Plasmodium ranged from 3% (Petroicidae) to 47% (Ptilonorhynchidae). We recovered 78 unique mitochondrial lineages from 155 sequences. Related lineages of Haemoproteus were more likely to derive from the same host family than predicted by chance at shallow (average LogDet genetic distance = 0, n = 12, P = 0.001) and greater depths (average distance = 0.014, n = 11, P < 0.001) within the parasite phylogeny. Within two major Haemoproteus subclades identified in a maximum likelihood phylogeny, host‐specificity was evident up to parasite genetic distances of 0.029 and 0.007 based on logistic regression. We found no significant host relationship among lineages of Plasmodium by any method of analysis. These results support previous evidence of strong host‐family specificity in Haemoproteus and suggest that lineages of Plasmodium are more likely to form evolutionarily–stable associations with novel hosts.

Comments

©2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Additional Comments

NIH grant #: 1R01GM063258; NSF grant #: 0236165

NSUWorks Citation

Beadell, Jon S.; Eben Gering; Jeremy Austin; John P. Dumbacher; Mike A. Peirce; Thane K. Pratt; Carter T. Atkinson; and Robert C. Fleischer. 2004. "Prevalence and Differential Host‐Specificity of Two Avian Blood Parasite Genera in the Australo‐Papuan Region." Molecular Ecology 13, (12): 3829-3844. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2004.02363.x.

ORCID ID

0000-0002-1270-6727

DOI

10.1111/j.1365-294X.2004.02363.x