Vector abundance determines Trypanosoma prevalence in nestling blue tits

SUMMARYThe effect of insect vectors on avian exposure to infection by pathogens remains poorly studied. Here, we used an insect repellent treatment to reduce the number of blood-sucking flying insects in blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus nests and examined its effect on nestling health status measured as body mass, nestling phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) response and blood parasite prevalence. We found that (i) the insect repellent treatment significantly reduced the number of blood-sucking flying insects in nests and (ii) the number of blood-sucking flying insects had a significant effect on the prevalence of the blood parasite Trypanosoma independently of the treatment. In addition, we found support for an adverse effect of parasite infections on nestling PHA response. Nestlings infected by Trypanosoma mounted a weaker response against PHA than non-parasitized ones. In addition, the number of blowflies in the nest was negatively associated with nestling PHA response. Overall, we found support for the hypothesis that blood-sucking flying insects attacking nestlings increase their exposure to parasite infections. Our results further substantiate the adverse effect of parasites on nestling condition.

Download Full-text

Epizootiology of blood parasite infections in passerine birds from central New Jersey

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z88-352 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 66 (11) ◽

pp. 2374-2382 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Carl E. Kirkpatrick ◽

Hannah B. Suthers

Keyword(s):

Adverse Effect ◽

Blood Culture ◽

Breeding Birds ◽

Blood Parasite ◽

Blood Sampling ◽

Passerine Birds ◽

New Host ◽

Blood Smears ◽

Parasite Infections ◽

Host Parasite

One or more genera of hematozoa were found in blood smears of 204 (29.3%) of 697 birds representing 59 species. Parasites included Leucocytozoon spp. (16.6% prevalence), Haemoproteus spp. (9.9%), Plasmodium spp. (3.0%), Trypanosoma spp. (4.2%), and microfilariae of filariid nematodes (1.0%). Of 353 birds (48 species) tested for trypanosomiasis by blood culture, 141 (39.9%) were found to be positive. Several new host–parasite associations were identified. Prevalences were lowest in the summer and highest in the spring. During the summer, hatching-year birds were found to be infected less frequently than were older birds. Ground-feeding birds were infected with Leucocytozoon spp. at a significantly higher rate than were birds that characteristically feed above ground. Although the vertical stratum preferred for foraging was significantly associated with that of nesting, no significant association between preferred nesting stratum and prevalence of Leucocytozoon spp. infection among locally breeding birds was found. The results of this study, when compared with those of others, indicate that the epizootiology of avian hematozoan infections may vary greatly according to the locality studied. An examination of the effects of blood sampling (whether by nail clipping or jugular venipuncture) on the birds revealed no significantly adverse effect of sampling on bird survival.

Download Full-text

Long-term effects of nestling condition on blood parasite resistance in blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus)

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z08-071 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 86 (9) ◽

pp. 937-946 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

M. Stjernman ◽

L. Råberg ◽

J.-Å. Nilsson

Keyword(s):

Body Mass ◽

Mechanistic Explanation ◽

Blood Parasite ◽

Parasite Resistance ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Nestling Condition ◽

Blue Tits

Little is know about whether the conditions experienced during ontogeny affect resistance to parasites later in life in wild animals. Here, we used a population of blue tits ( Cyanistes caeruleus (L., 1758)) to investigate to what extent conditions experienced during the nestling stage could explain the ability to control blood parasite ( Haemoproteus majoris (Laveran, 1902)) infections 1 year later. Although short-term effects may be expected based on the well-known sensitivity of the immune system to current conditions, it is less known whether this translates into a permanent alteration of parasite resistance. By relating nestling condition (measured as body mass or size-corrected body mass) at the beginning and end of the nestling stage to parasite intensity of individual recruiting birds 1 year later, we indeed found significant positive effects of both early and late nestling condition on the long-term ability to control parasites. These results indicate that parasites may be important as a mechanistic explanation for the trade-off between number and quality of offspring. It further points to the potential relevance for maternal effects in host–parasite interactions.

Download Full-text

Interactions between the intestinal flagellates Giardia muris and Spironucleus muris and the blood parasites Babesia microti, Plasmodium yoelii and Plasmodium berghei in mice

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182000054184 ◽

1982 ◽

Vol 85 (1) ◽

pp. 101-110 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sara J. Brett ◽

F. E. G. Cox

Keyword(s):

Small Intestine ◽

Total Duration ◽

Plasmodium Yoelii ◽

Blood Parasite ◽

Blood Parasites ◽

Babesia Microti ◽

Parasite Infections ◽

Immunological Factors ◽

Temporary Decrease ◽

Giardia Muris

SUMMARYIn mice infected with the intestinal flagellates Giardia muris or Spironucleus muris, together with the blood parasites Babesia microti or Plasmodium yoelii, there is a temporary decrease of flagellate cyst output coincident with the peak of the blood parasite infections, followed by a rapid return to normal levels. This decrease in cyst output is correlated with decreased numbers of trophozoites in the small intestine. The effect on S. muris is more marked than that on G. muris. Neither blood parasites has any effect on the total duration of the flagellate infection and the flagellates do not affect the blood parasites. In mice infected with G. muris or S. muris and P. berghei there is also a decrease in cyst output but this is less apparent than in infections with B. microti or P. yoelii because of the fatal nature of the P. berghei infection. It is suggested that the decrease in cyst output is probably due to changes in the contents of the small intestine or to non-specific immunological factors rather than to specific immunological changes.

Download Full-text

Blood parasites in passerine birds from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Revista Brasileira de Parasitologia Veterinária ◽

10.1590/s1984-29612012000100003 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 7-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Fabiane Sebaio ◽

Érika Martins Braga ◽

Felipe Branquinho ◽

Alan Fecchio ◽

Miguel Ângelo Marini

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Forest ◽

Bird Species ◽

Parasite Prevalence ◽

Neotropical Region ◽

Blood Parasite ◽

Blood Parasites ◽

Passerine Birds ◽

Blood Smears ◽

Temporal And Spatial ◽

Low Prevalence

Parasites may lead bird species to extinction, affect host temporal and spatial population dynamics, alter community structure and alter individuals’ social status. We evaluated blood parasite prevalence and intensity according to bird families and species, among 925 birds that were caught in 2000 and 2001, in the Atlantic Forest in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. We applied Giemsa staining to thin blood smears, to detect blood parasites. The birds (n = 15.8%) in 11 families, were infected by at least one parasite genus, especially Muscicapidae (28.3%) and Conopophagidae (25%). Among the 146 infected birds, Plasmodium was detected in all bird families and had the highest prevalence (54.8%). Trypanosoma, Haemoproteus and microfilaria had lower prevalence rates (23.3, 23.3 and 2.1%, respectively). Birds caught during the rainy season were more infected than birds caught during the dry season. The overall low prevalence of blood parasites in birds is similar to the patterns found elsewhere in the Neotropical region.

Download Full-text

A simple trapping method to estimate abundances of blood-sucking flying insects in avian nests

Animal Behaviour ◽

10.1016/j.anbehav.2007.08.018 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 75 (2) ◽

pp. 723-729 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Gustavo Tomás ◽

Santiago Merino ◽

Josué Martínez-De La Puente ◽

Juan Moreno ◽

Judith Morales ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Flying Insects ◽

Blood Sucking ◽

Trapping Method

Download Full-text

Host species, and not environment, predicts variation in blood parasite prevalence, distribution, and diversity along a humidity gradient in northern South America

Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.1002/ece3.3785 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (8) ◽

pp. 3800-3814 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Paulo C. Pulgarín-R ◽

Juan P. Gómez ◽

Scott Robinson ◽

Robert E. Ricklefs ◽

Carlos Daniel Cadena

Keyword(s):

South America ◽

Host Species ◽

Parasite Prevalence ◽

Blood Parasite ◽

Humidity Gradient ◽

Northern South America

Download Full-text

Carotenoid-based plumage colouration is associated with blood parasite richness and stress protein levels in blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus)

Oecologia ◽

10.1007/s00442-009-1510-y ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 162 (4) ◽

pp. 825-835 ◽

Cited By ~ 42

Author(s):

Sara del Cerro ◽

Santiago Merino ◽

Josué Martínez-de la Puente ◽

Elisa Lobato ◽

Rafael Ruiz-de-Castañeda ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stress Protein ◽

Blood Parasite ◽

Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽

Protein Levels ◽

Plumage Colouration ◽

Parasite Richness ◽

Blue Tits

Download Full-text

The blood parasite Haemoproteus reduces survival in a wild bird: a medication experiment

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2010.0046 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 6 (5) ◽

pp. 663-665 ◽

Cited By ~ 115

Author(s):

Josué Martínez-de la Puente ◽

Santiago Merino ◽

Gustavo Tomás ◽

Juan Moreno ◽

Judith Morales ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Empirical Evidence ◽

Breeding Season ◽

Wild Bird ◽

Blood Parasite ◽

Reproductive Costs ◽

Intensity Of Infection ◽

Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽

Local Survival ◽

Blue Tits

While avian chronic haemoparasite infections induce reproductive costs, infection has not previously been shown to affect survival. Here, we experimentally reduced, through medication, the intensity of infection by Haemoproteus parasites in wild-breeding female blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus . However, this treatment did not reduce the intensity of infection in males or the intensity of infection by Leucocytozoon . Medicated females, but not males, showed increased local survival until the next breeding season compared with control birds. To our knowledge, this is the first empirical evidence showing long-term direct survival costs of chronic Haemoproteus infections in wild birds.

Download Full-text

Mixed haemosporidian infections are associated with higher fearfulness in Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava)

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/cjz-2016-0121 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 95 (6) ◽

pp. 405-410 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

M.P. Marinov ◽

C. Marchetti ◽

D. Dimitrov ◽

M. Ilieva ◽

P. Zehtindjiev

Keyword(s):

Mixed Infection ◽

Parasite Species ◽

Single Species ◽

Blood Parasite ◽

Activity Level ◽

Single Infection ◽

Novel Object ◽

Yellow Wagtail ◽

Parasite Infections ◽

Single Genus

Blood parasite infections have been shown to influence behavioural traits of their avian hosts, in particular activity level and boldness. Following the hypothesis that a mixed infection by different parasite species should have higher effects than single-species infections, we analysed activity and boldness in wild-caught Yellow Wagtails (Motacilla flava L., 1758), a trans-Saharan migrant, during the energetically demanding spring migration. Eighty-five percent of the birds were naturally infected with Haemoproteus Kruse, 1890 or Plasmodium Marchiafava and Celli, 1885 (Sporozoa, Haemosporida) and 27% of individuals had parasites from both genera. No differences in activity were found among uninfected, single infection, and mixed infection groups. Birds with infections from both genera appeared to be more fearful when first introduced to a cage. These birds also tended to be less likely to approach a novel object compared with uninfected birds and birds infected by a single genus only.

Download Full-text