Hemoparasites and their relation to body condition and plumage coloration of the White-necked thrush (Turdus albicollis)

Effects of haemosporidian co-infection and parasitemia on reproductive strategies in a polymorphic species

“…While co-infection does not impact body condition of white-throated sparrows, parasitemia has a positive effect as individuals with high parasitemia have better body condition. Higher parasitemia ( Plasmodium or Haemoproteus ) has been shown in white-necked thrush ( Turdus albicollis ) and in blue tits ( Cyanistes caeruleus ) to have a negative influence on body condition (Merino et al 2000, De La Torre et al 2020). Our contrasting result between high parasitemia and high body condition could be due to the cost of immunity.…”

“…Thus, host-parasite and parasite-parasite interactions lead to variation in parasitemia, impacting virulence and infection dynamics (Bose et al 2016, Van Rooyen et al 2013). While the effect of malaria prevalence on host fitness has been widely investigated (Cuevas et al 2021, De La Torre et al 2020, Figuerola et al 1999, Jacobs et al 2015), less often those studies integrated the costs of co-infection on host reproductive success (Marzal et al 2008, Van Rooyen et al 2013, Norte et al 2009, Pigeault et al 2020, Pigeault et al 2018).…”

“…We investigated the impact of co-infection and parasitemia on adult body condition, reproductive success (number of fledglings, chance of extra-pair paternity in a nest, and the ratio of genetic offspring belonging to the social father), and how parental infection impacts nestling condition. We predicted: 1) body condition will be worse in those individuals infected by two haemosporidian species and having a higher parasitemia (De La Torre et al 2020); 2) individuals with higher parasitemia will produce more fledglings in a single season if they performed a terminal investment strategy; 3) females with infected partners will show higher extra-pair paternity, as they would actively seek healthier males. Furthermore, when investigating the effect of parental infection on nestlings, we predicted that co-infected parents with high parasitemia will have nestlings in better body condition and with faster growth rates.…”

Incidence of avian malaria in hummingbirds in humid premontane forests of Pichincha Province, Ecuador: A pilot study

“…Samples were stained with Giemsa reagent diluted 1:5 in phosphate-buffered saline at the laboratory at Yachay Tech University [ 28 , 29 ]. Each smear was covered with Giemsa solution for 10 min.…”

“…Each smear was covered with Giemsa solution for 10 min. Then, they were delicately washed with tap water and placed vertically to air dry [29][30][31]. Once dry, the stained samples were observed under an optical Leica DM300 microscope for parasitological diagnosis.…”