Parasites of seabirds: A survey of effects and ecological implications

Abstract

Contentsand pelicans (Pelecaniformes) and marine seaducks and loons (Anseriformes and Gaviiformes). We found that the seabird orders of Charadriiformes and Procellariiformes were most represented in the parasite-seabird literature. While negative effects were reported in seabirds associated with all the parasite groups, most effects have been studied in adults with less information known about how parasites may affect chicks and fledglings. We found studies most often reported on negative effects in seabird hosts during the breeding season, although this is also the time when most seabird research occurs. Many studies report that external factors such as condition of the host, pollution, and environmental conditions can influence the effects of parasites, thus cumulative effects likely play a large role in how parasites influence seabirds at both the individual and population level. With an increased understanding of parasite-host dynamics it is clear that major environmental changes, often those associated with human activities, can directly or indirectly affect the distribution, abundance, or virulence of parasites and pathogens. Flea seabird Mites seabird Protist sea duck Virus seaduck Avipoxvirus seabird Flies seabird Mosquitoes seabird Protists Sea duck Virus seafowl 4 Junaid S. Khan et al.

Protein Deimination and Extracellular Vesicle Profiles in Antarctic Seabirds

“…Numerous studies have examined levels of a range of heavy metal and other contaminants [39,[45][46][47]. Similarly, a range of seabird species have been screened for specific pathogens [48], including for the agent of avian cholera (Pasteurella multocida) [49][50][51][52], avian pox [53] as well as other bacterial [54], viral [55,56] and parasitic infections [57][58][59][60][61]. However, less research has been carried out on immunological markers, which should be indicative of general health in seabirds [62][63][64][65][66].…”

The genome of the Balearic shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus), a Critically Endangered seabird: a valuable resource for evolutionary and conservation genomics

“…), accompanied by a relaxation of natural selection in regulators of blood constituents, induction of bacterial agglutination, regulation of antigen processing and presentation, viral budding via host ESCRT complex or macrophage antigen processing and presentation. As Procellariiformes exposure to parasites is high [69] and their life-history traits favour parasite maintenance within populations [70], the tuning between the intensification and relaxation of natural selection in multiple biological processes and molecular functions related with immune response would have emerged following an arms race-like model. For example, as many parasites of tubenoses are blood-feeding, the intensified natural selection on the thrombin-activated receptor signaling pathway (GO:0070493), may be an evolutionary response to counter the anticoagulant activity that most blood-feeding parasites present [71].…”

Poxviral Strategies to Overcome Host Cell Apoptosis

“…Avipoxviruses are a group of prominent pathogenic viruses among avian species, causing a slower growth in birds [ 122 ]. Among the sequenced genomes of avipoxviridae genus, putative Bcl-2 proteins of two members have been characterized, FPV039 from fowlpox virus (FPV) and CNP058 from canarypox virus (CNPV).…”