Impact of Subclinical Haemoproteus columbae Infection on Farmed Domestic Pigeons from Central Java (Yogyakarta), Indonesia, with Special Reference to Changes in the Hemogram

Abstract

Pigeon haemoproteosis caused by Haemoproteus columbae (Apicomplexa: Haemosporida: Haemoproteidae) is globally prevalent in rock doves (Columba livia), although little is known regarding this disease in pigeons and doves in Indonesia. Blood samples of 35 farmed domestic pigeons (C. livia f. domestica) from four localities in Yogyakarta Special Region, Central Java, Indonesia, were collected from March to June, 2016, subjected to a hemogram, and analyzed for the presence of hemoprotozoan infections. Microscopic examination of blood smears revealed a prevalence of 62.5–100% of H. columbae at the four localities (n = 8–10 for each locality), and geometric means of 3.0–5.6% of erythrocytes were parasitized by young and mature gametocytes, suggesting that all infected pigeons were in the chronic phase of infection with repeated recurrences and/or reinfections. Nucleotide sequencing of mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (cytb) for haemosporidian species demonstrated the distribution of four major cytb lineages of H. columbae (mainly HAECOL1, accompanied by COLIV03, COQUI05, and CXNEA02 according to the MalAvi database). Hemogram analysis, involving the estimation of packed cell volume, erythrocyte counts, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, and plasma protein and fibrinogen levels of 20 parasitized pigeons and five non-infected pigeons demonstrated significant macrocytic hypochromic anemia with hypoproteinemia and hyperfibrinogenemia in the infected pigeons. This study shows the profound impact of long-lasting subclinical pigeon haemoproteosis caused by H. columbae on the health of farmed domestic pigeons.

Baseline study of the morphological and genetic characteristics of Haemoproteus parasites in wild pigeons (Columba livia) from paddy fields in Thailand

“…A high frequency of infection with HAECOL1 relative to other haplotypes was observed in this study, which is similar to previous findings in wild or domestic pigeons ( Cepeda et al, 2019 ; Chagas et al, 2016 ; Nebel et al, 2020 ; Rosyadi et al, 2021 ; Yumoto et al, 2021 ). Notably, COLIV03 and COQUI05 had minor infection rates ( Nebel et al, 2020 ; Rosyadi et al, 2021 ), consistent with those reported previously. The presence of all three haplotypes has been reported around the world, including the current finding in Thailand ( Table 1 ).…”

“…In this study, wild pigeons had a 27.6% infection rate with haemosporidian parasite ( Table 1 ), which was similar to the relatively low prevalence rates reported for domestic pigeons in Iran ( Adinehbeigi et al, 2018 ; Dehghani Samani et al, 2013 ) and wild pigeons in Japan ( Yumoto et al, 2021 ). However, the rate of haemosporidian parasite infection can be higher — especially in urban areas or pigeon farms — such as the >95% prevalence in urban areas of South Africa ( Nebel et al, 2020 ) and 65%–100% in pigeon farms in Indonesia ( Rosyadi et al, 2021 ). This difference infection rate is likely associated with population density and habitat area.…”

“…The haplotype network represents the genetic relationships of H. columbae in current or previous reports. HAECOL1 has been recorded in different geographic areas, including Botswana, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, and South Africa ( Cepeda et al, 2019 ; Chagas et al, 2016 ; Dehghani Samani et al, 2013 ; Mushi et al, 2000 ; Rosyadi et al, 2021 ; Yumoto et al, 2021 ). This wide distribution of HAECOL1 is similar to that of COLIV03 and COQUI05.…”

<i>Haemoproteus columbae</i> infection in a straggler racing pigeon sheltered in Japan

“…Comparison with the International Nucleotide Sequence Databases using the BLAST program showed 100% identity with the haplotype HAECOL1 (Accession no. KU131583), which is reported in C. livia from a wide range of tropical and subtropical areas [ 3 , 6 , 12 , 13 ].…”

Comparative Analysis of the Exo-Erythrocytic Development of Five Lineages of Haemoproteus majoris, a Common Haemosporidian Parasite of European Passeriform Birds

“…Anemia is an acknowledged symptom caused by Haemoproteus parasites, with the gametocytes developing in the erythrocytes [ 4 , 5 ]. However, the exo-erythrocytic development, which occurs in different organs, was initially assessed to be less harmful for their avian hosts compared with that of haemosporidian parasites of the genera Plasmodium and Leucocytozoon [ 6 ], and research on Haemoproteus tissue stages remained scarce.…”