Avian malaria, ecological host traits and mosquito abundance in southeastern Amazonia

Fecchio, Alan; Ellis, Vincenzo A.; Bell, Jeffrey A.; Andretti, Christian Borges; d’Horta, Fernando M.; Silva, Allan M.; Tkach, Vasyl V.; Weckstein, Jason D.

doi:10.1017/s003118201700035x

Cited by 39 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…; Fecchio et al . ), with effects typically attributed to vector ecology. Vector feeding preferences for certain host species affects susceptibility, at least within depauperate communities (Medeiros et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Deeply conserved susceptibility in a multi‐host, multi‐parasite system

et al. 2019

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Variation in susceptibility is ubiquitous in multi-host, multi-parasite assemblages, and can have profound implications for ecology and evolution in these systems. The extent to which susceptibility to parasites is phylogenetically conserved among hosts can be revealed by analysing diverse regional communities. We screened for haemosporidian parasites in 3983 birds representing 40 families and 523 species, spanning~4500 m elevation in the tropical Andes. To quantify the influence of host phylogeny on infection status, we applied Bayesian phylogenetic multilevel models that included a suite of environmental, spatial, temporal, life history and ecological predictors. We found evidence of deeply conserved susceptibility across the avian tree; host phylogeny explained substantial variation in infection status, and results were robust to phylogenetic uncertainty. Our study suggests that susceptibility is governed, in part, by conserved, latent aspects of anti-parasite defence. This demonstrates the importance of deep phylogeny for understanding present-day ecological interactions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…; Fecchio et al . ). We obtained foraging stratum and relative abundance from the reference database published for Neotropical birds (Parker et al .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Deeply conserved susceptibility in a multi‐host, multi‐parasite system

et al. 2019

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“…2013; Lutz et al . 2015; Fecchio et al . 2017a), with effects typically attributed to vector ecology.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deeply conserved susceptibility in a multi-host, multi-parasite system

Barrow

McNew

Mitchell

et al. 2018

Preprint

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Variation in susceptibility is ubiquitous in multi‐host, multi‐parasite assemblages, and can have profound implications for ecology and evolution in these systems. The extent to which susceptibility to parasites is phylogenetically conserved among hosts can be revealed by analysing diverse regional communities. We screened for haemosporidian parasites in 3983 birds representing 40 families and 523 species, spanning ~ 4500 m elevation in the tropical Andes. To quantify the influence of host phylogeny on infection status, we applied Bayesian phylogenetic multilevel models that included a suite of environmental, spatial, temporal, life history and ecological predictors. We found evidence of deeply conserved susceptibility across the avian tree; host phylogeny explained substantial variation in infection status, and results were robust to phylogenetic uncertainty. Our study suggests that susceptibility is governed, in part, by conserved, latent aspects of anti‐parasite defence. This demonstrates the importance of deep phylogeny for understanding present‐day ecological interactions.

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“…Environmental variables associated with prevalence in some studies are temperature, rainfall, and elevation [4] as well as vegetation structure [5,6,7]. Among avian species-ecological traits are migratory status, nest type, social behavior, and size [5,8], although the supporting evidence is often lacking [9]. Other factors that likely affects the prevalence of malaria in birds are seasonality and spatial distribution of culicid mosquito vectors in the landscape [10,11,12].…”

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Evaluation of Avian Malaria in An Inter-Andean Dry Forest of Imbabura Province in Ecuador

Spencer

Tellkamp

Vispo

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: Hematozoa of the genus Plasmodium cause malaria in birds, and are frequently found in passerines. They are characterized by particularly small meronts and elongated gametocytes in peripheral blood. Although the disease is not fatal, it affects reproductive success and, therefore, the biodiversity of the birds, so it is a necessity to know the species of birds that are infected. Methods: The presence of Plasmodium in passerine birds were investigated in three locations in the inter-Andean dry forest of the province of Imbabura in Ecuador. Prevalence and parasitaema were determined by light microscopy of blood smears and was confirmed by the indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) with a monoclonal antibody that recognizes protein 1 of merozoite surface (MSP-1). Results: The percentage of prevalence and parasitaemia in the bird species captured in the three locations was determined and was related to the elevation and presence of bodies of water in the studied areas. A 100% prevalence was found at the lowest site but decreased with elevation and the absence of nearby water bodies. The IFA test supported the identity of the Plasmodium parasite. Discussion: This study shows that bird species are highly parasitized in the dry forest of Imbabura and underscores the influence elevation and the presence of water as a possible source proliferation of the vector insects. As elevation increases, prevalence and parasitaemia decrease. Besides, we present a useful new diagnostic tool, a monoclonal antibody that recognizes Plasmodium protein MSP-1, which is highly conserved among the species of this parasite.

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Avian malaria, ecological host traits and mosquito abundance in southeastern Amazonia

Cited by 39 publications

References 61 publications

Deeply conserved susceptibility in a multi‐host, multi‐parasite system

Deeply conserved susceptibility in a multi‐host, multi‐parasite system

Deeply conserved susceptibility in a multi-host, multi-parasite system

Evaluation of Avian Malaria in An Inter-Andean Dry Forest of Imbabura Province in Ecuador

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