Ungulate malaria parasites

Templeton, Thomas J.; Asada, Masahito; Jiratanh, Montakan; Ishikawa, Sohta A.; Tiawsirisup, Sonthaya; Sivakumar, Thillaiampalam; Namangala, Boniface; Takeda, Mika; Mohkaew, Kingdao; Ngamjituea, Supawan; Inoue, Noboru; Sugimoto, Chihiro; Inagaki, Yuji; Suzuki, Yasuhiko; Yokoyama, Naoki; Kaewthamasorn, Morakot; Kaneko, O.

doi:10.1038/srep23230

Cited by 46 publications

(88 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Malaria parasites ( Plasmodium and related genera) are a diverse group exploiting thousands of vertebrate host species including mammals, squamate reptiles, and especially birds on all warm continents (Martinsen, Perkins, & Schall 2008; Tempelton et al, 2016). A venerable, and vexing, issue in the study of human malaria centers on the variation over time and space in prevalence patterns.…”

Section: Introductonmentioning

confidence: 99%

The drivers and consequences of unstablePlasmodiumdynamics: A long-term study of three malaria species infecting a tropical lizard

Otero

Schall

Cruz

et al. 2017

Preprint

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The dynamics of vector-borne parasites are driven by interactions between factors intrinsic to the parasite, its host, as well as environmental fluctuations. Understanding these interactions requires a long-term view, especially to predict the consequences of climate change on parasite dynamics.The goal of this study is to evaluate temporal fluctuations in individual probability of infection, its environmental drivers and consequences for host body condition, of three malaria parasites (Plasmodium azurophilum, P. leucocytica, and P. floridense) infecting the lizard, Anolis gundlachi, in the rainforest of Puerto Rico.We conducted 13 surveys totaling N > 8000 lizards over 26 years. During the early years of the study, the lizard’s probability of infection by all three Plasmodium species appeared stable despite disturbances from short droughts and small to moderate hurricanes.Over a longer timescale, we found that the individual lizard probability of infection and overall prevalence varied significantly over the years, and this fluctuation was driven in non-linear ways by variations in temperature and rainfall. The probability of infection was maximized at intermediate levels of temperature and precipitation. This temporal variability in Plasmodium prevalence driven by environmental factors had two important consequences. First, temperature-mediated a decrease in body condition in infected female lizards relative to non-infected ones. Second, Plasmodium parasite species composition varied through time.Overall, the results show how environmental conditions, such a severe drought, can drive disease dynamics outside of their apparent stable equilibrium and mediate the potential negative effects of parasite infection on the host. Our results also emphasize the need for long-term studies to reveal host-parasite dynamics, their drivers and consequences.

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Section: Introductonmentioning

confidence: 99%

The drivers and consequences of unstablePlasmodiumdynamics: A long-term study of three malaria species infecting a tropical lizard

Otero

Schall

Cruz

et al. 2017

Preprint

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“…However, negative findings obtained in this study may depend on the low parasitemia at the time of blood collection. Indeed, low parasitemia has been previously described in infected ungulates [6, 11, 12], and the incidence of infection has been as low as 0.003% [12] in molecular tests, with no detection of parasites in blood smears. Moreover, the life cycle of Plasmodium in vertebrate hosts may include a long-lived dormant stage in the liver, with sequestration of the parasite from the general circulation, causing very low parasitemia in the absence of an immunosuppressed state, as previously reported in water buffalos ( Bubalus bubalis ) [26].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Both PCR protocols use universal primers for Plasmodium amplification, and the species of Plasmodium is determined by the similarity to the genomic sequences deposited in GenBank. The primers DW2 and DW4, used in Plasmodium cytb gene amplification [25], have also been used in other studies for Plasmodium screening from ungulates [10–12, 14]. All reactions were performed using positive and negative controls, and no contamination was detected.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This monitoring has provided important information for animal and public health and for conservation purposes, given that internationally, Brazilian dwarf brocket deer, marsh deer and red brocket deer have been considered vulnerable [18–20]. Thus, considering the recent reports about malaria parasites in cervids and other ungulates throughout the world, including Central Brazil [10–12, 14], we conducted a re-examination, using microscopic and molecular tools, of these 32 deer samples, searching for Plasmodium species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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First molecular screening of Plasmodium species in ungulates from Southern Brazil

et al. 2018

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ObjectiveDespite malaria epidemiology has been extensively studied in primates, few studies were conducted in ungulates. After half a century without descriptions of Plasmodium spp. in deer since its first identification, recent research has rediscovered Plasmodium on ungulates in Africa, Asia, North America and South America, including Central Brazil. Here, a captive herd was evaluated in southern Brazil using light microscopy and PCR. DNA samples were tested for fragment amplification of two Plasmodium spp. genes: mitochondrial cytochrome b and small subunit ribosomal RNA.ResultsAll analyses were negative. However, the tests were performed on samples that were collected at a single time point, and parasitemia may fluctuate over the parasite’s life cycle. Thus, the possibility of occult infection cannot be ruled out. Despite the negative results of all of the methods applied, it cannot be categorically stated that these animals are free from Plasmodium sp. infection. Further monitoring and/or multiple sequential sampling may improve the success rate of detecting parasites. Moreover, although this survey of Plasmodium represents the first molecular study on ungulate malaria parasites from Southern Brazil, further analysis of samples from different ungulate species is important for characterizing the epidemiology of Plasmodium of these mammals in this region.

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“…The type host had been splenectomized; thus, there was some doubt of the natural transmission of this parasite into deer hosts. A second paper (5) reported hemosporidians from two geographically disparate hosts: domestic goats in Africa and water buffalo in Vietnam and Thailand. Finally, the third paper (6) provided data on hemosporidian sequences from duiker that had been killed for bush meat in western Africa.…”

Section: Commentarymentioning

confidence: 99%

Malaria in Farmed Ungulates: an Exciting New System for Comparative Parasitology

Perkins

2018

mSphere

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A wide array of vertebrates can serve as the intermediate hosts to malaria parasites (Apicomplexa: Haemosporida), such as birds, lizards, and several groups of mammals, including primates, bats, rodents, and ungulates. The latter group of hosts has not been intensively studied since early descriptions of a small set of taxa were published, but new reports of these parasites in both expected and new hosts have recently been published.

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Ungulate malaria parasites

Cited by 46 publications

References 26 publications

The drivers and consequences of unstablePlasmodiumdynamics: A long-term study of three malaria species infecting a tropical lizard

The drivers and consequences of unstablePlasmodiumdynamics: A long-term study of three malaria species infecting a tropical lizard

First molecular screening of Plasmodium species in ungulates from Southern Brazil

Malaria in Farmed Ungulates: an Exciting New System for Comparative Parasitology

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