Feral pigeon populations: their gene pool and links with local domestic breeds

AbstractColumba livia is a wild bird whose domestication has led to a large number of pigeon breeds. The occasional loss or straying of domestic birds determined the origin of feral pigeons, which are now widespread all around the world. In this study, we assumed that the main contribution to feral populations is provided by domestic breeds reared in the same areas. We tested this hypothesis by analysing the variability of 12 microsatellite loci in nine Italian feral populations sampled in areas with different intensities of breeding and selecting domestic breeds. We included in the analysis samples belonging to domestic lineages commonly bred in Italy The pattern of geographic differentiation of feral populations turned out to be rather complex and only partially explained by the geographic distance between populations. This pattern can be understood only when the domestic breeds were included in the analysis. In particular, feral populations located in regions with a long-lasting tradition of pigeon breeding showed a high level of admixture with domestic breeds, in particular with Racing Homer and Piacentino. Ferals from Bolzano, Venice and Sassari were characterized by unique genetic components, almost all of which are not shared by other feral populations and by the considered domestic breeds. Our results further emphasize the complex origin of feral populations which can be properly investigated only by considering the pool of domestic pigeons bred in the considered area and their past and present distribution.

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[Columba livia domestic breed, invasive entity also alien for Italy]

Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia ◽

10.4081/rio.2018.356 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 88 (2) ◽

pp. 3-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Giovanni Boano ◽

Fabio Perco ◽

Marco Pavia ◽

Natale Emilio Baldaccini

Keyword(s):

Indian Subcontinent ◽

Columba Livia ◽

Wild Populations ◽

Free Living ◽

Genetic Characteristics ◽

Feral Populations ◽

Domestic Breed ◽

Present Distribution ◽

Western Palaearctic ◽

Post War

[The Rock Dove (Columba livia) is a polytypic species originally confined to coastal and inland cliffs of western Palaearctic and northern Ethiopian regions and to those of Indian subcontinent. The present distribution is confused by extensions of range through hybridization with feral stock, which have determined its diffusion in geographical areas and environments that are very different and distant from the original ones, with a naturalized distribution now virtually cosmopolitan. Besides a substantial number of domestic breeds reared and maintained in this state, Columba livia is now represented by the original wild populations, generally in decline, and by feral populations, originated from abandoned or escaped domestic individuals. These populations developed above all, but no exclusively, in the cities, starting from the end of the XVIII century, with a further significant increase during the second post-war period, In this work, after having examined and discussed the distribution of the species resulting from the Pleistocene fossil findings and from the historical ornithological literature, we advance the hypothesis that wherever there are free-living populations showing phenotypic, biometric or genetic characteristics different from the wild morphotype, it is legitimate to consider these populations as an alien complex of domestic origin, to be controlled by culling and, when possible, eradicated. On the side-lines of this work, the Authors hope for a reconsideration of Italian names of this species.] [Article in Italian]

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The synanthropic status of wild rock doves (Columba livia) and their contribution to feral pigeon populations

Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia ◽

10.4081/rio.2020.479 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 90 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Natale Emilio Baldaccini

Keyword(s):

Wild Species ◽

Gene Pool ◽

Columba Livia ◽

Feral Pigeon ◽

Urban Habitats ◽

Feral Pigeons ◽

Feral Populations ◽

Natural Range ◽

Suitable Habitats ◽

Feeding Grounds

Wild rock doves still breed in suitable habitats along southern and insular Italy, even if their colonies are threatened by the genetic intrusion of feral pigeons. One of their prominent behaviours is the daily foraging flights from colonial to feeding grounds which involves coming into contact with man-made buildings. These are exploited firstly as roosting places near crop resources and later for nesting. This incipient synanthropy is not extended to direct food dependence on humans, by which they tend to remain independent. In the same way that ferals genetically intruded the wild colonies, in urban habitats, rock doves mix with ferals because of the large interbreeding possibilities. In the natural range of the wild species, this has occurred since the appearance of the feral form of pigeons and still continues with the residual populations of rock doves, representing their endless contribution to the feral populations, at least until the dissolution of the gene pool of the primordial form of wild rock dove.

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DFT Benchmark Study of the O--O Bond Dissociation Energy in Peroxides Validated with High-Level Ab-Initio Calculations

10.26434/chemrxiv.8217221.v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Danilo Carmona ◽

Pablo Jaque ◽

Esteban Vöhringer-Martinez

Keyword(s):

Reference Value ◽

Basis Set ◽

Basis Sets ◽

Mean Deviation ◽

Bond Dissociation ◽

Dissociation Energies ◽

The Mean ◽

Experimental Values ◽

High Level ◽

Almost All

<div><div><div><p>Peroxides play a central role in many chemical and biological pro- cesses such as the Fenton reaction. The relevance of these compounds lies in the low stability of the O–O bond which upon dissociation results in radical species able to initiate various chemical or biological processes. In this work, a set of 64 DFT functional-basis set combinations has been validated in terms of their capability to describe bond dissociation energies (BDE) for the O–O bond in a database of 14 ROOH peroxides for which experimental values ofBDE are available. Moreover, the electronic contributions to the BDE were obtained for four of the peroxides and the anion H2O2− at the CBS limit at CCSD(T) level with Dunning’s basis sets up to triple–ζ quality provid- ing a reference value for the hydrogen peroxide anion as a model. Almost all the functionals considered here yielded mean absolute deviations around 5.0 kcal mol−1. The smallest values were observed for the ωB97 family and the Minnesota M11 functional with a marked basis set dependence. Despite the mean deviation, order relations among BDE experimental values of peroxides were also considered. The ωB97 family was able to reproduce the relations correctly whereas other functionals presented a marked dependence on the chemical nature of the R group. Interestingly, M11 functional did not show a very good agreement with the established order despite its good performance in the mean error. The obtained results support the use of similar validation strategies for proper prediction of BDE or other molecular properties by DF Tmethods in subsequent related studies.</p></div></div></div>

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MICROSCOPIC AND MOLECULAR DIAGNOSIS OF Ascaridia spp. IN DOMESTIC PIGEONS(Columba livia domestica) IN BAGHDAD CITY,IRAQ

IRAQI JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES ◽

10.36103/ijas.v51i4.1101 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 51 (4) ◽

pp. 1220-1225

Author(s):

Faraj & Al- Amery

Keyword(s):

Molecular Diagnosis ◽

Columba Livia ◽

Ascaridia Galli ◽

Molecular Assay ◽

Infection Rates ◽

Conventional Pcr ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Pcr Products ◽

Males And Females ◽

Domestic Pigeons

Ascaridiosis is a very important parasitic disease of birds, it is caused by Ascaridia. This study was conducted to identify the Ascaridia species by microscopic and molecular assay in Baghdad city. One hundred and sixty fecal samples were collected from domestic pigeons during the period from 1/1/ 2019 to 31/3/ 2019. Results showed that the rate of infection for Ascaridia spp. 15.62% by microscopic examination. Significant difference was observed in infection rates between males and females pigeons. Fifty samples randomly selected and subjected to molecular diagnosis of Ascaridia spp.. Molecular examination results, the total infection rate showed 16%(8/50). The eight positive PCR products were sequenced and deposited in Gene bank data base, phylogenic analysis demonstrated that 4 sequences belongs to Ascaridia galli ( MK918635.1, MK918636.1, MK918847.1, MK919081.1), while 2 (MK919199.1, MK919200.1) belong to Ascaridia nymphii and 2 (MK919207.1, MK919264.1) belong to Ascaridia numidae. It is the first study in Iraq to diagnosis of Ascaridia nymphii and Ascaridia numidae in domesticed pigeons by using conventional PCR.

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Methyl mercury in the dutch rhine delta

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1994.0530 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 30 (10) ◽

pp. 213-219 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Hendrik Pieters ◽

Victor Geuke

Keyword(s):

Suspended Matter ◽

Methyl Mercury ◽

Mercury Contamination ◽

Benthic Organisms ◽

Considerable Decrease ◽

Continuous Sedimentation ◽

Highly Correlated ◽

High Level ◽

Almost All

Samples of yellow eel from various locations in the Dutch Rhine area have been analyzed for trend monitoring of mercury since 1977. In the western Rhine delta mercury levels in eels have hardly changed since the seventies, whereas in the eastern part of the Dutch Rhine area a considerable decrease of mercury concentrations in eel has occurred. Because of continuous sedimentation of contaminated suspended matter transported from upstream regions, accumulation rates and concentrations of mercury in eel in the western Rhine delta remained at a relatively high level. Analyses of methyl mercury in biota have been performed to elucidate the role of methyl mercury in the mercury contamination of the Dutch Rhine ecosystem. Low percentages of methyl mercury were observed in zooplankton (3 to 35%). In benthic organisms (mussels) percentages of methyl mercury ranged from 30 to 57%, while in fish species and liver of aquatic top predator birds almost all the mercury was present in the form of methyl mercury (> 80%). During the period 1970-1990 mercury concentrations of suspended matter in the eastern Rhine delta have drastically decreased. These concentrations seemed to be highly correlated with mercury concentrations of eel (R = 0.84). The consequences of this relation are discussed.

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

Pathogens ◽

10.3390/pathogens10040440 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 440

Author(s):

Imron Rosyadi ◽

Siti Isrina Oktavia Salasia ◽

Bayanzul Argamjav ◽

Hiroshi Sato

Keyword(s):

Chronic Phase ◽

Hypochromic Anemia ◽

Hemoglobin Concentration ◽

Columba Livia ◽

Nucleotide Sequencing ◽

Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin ◽

Haemoproteus Columbae ◽

Central Java ◽

Mitochondrial Cytochrome B ◽

Domestic Pigeons

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.

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Liquid Biopsy and Other Non-Invasive Diagnostic Measures in PCNSL

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers13112665 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 2665

Author(s):

Alexander Baraniskin ◽

Roland Schroers

Keyword(s):

Central Nervous System Lymphoma ◽

Circulating Tumor Dna ◽

Mri Findings ◽

Diagnostic Measures ◽

Non Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽

Specificity And Sensitivity ◽

Demyelinating Lesions ◽

Granulomatous Diseases ◽

High Level ◽

Almost All

Primary central nervous system lymphoma is a rare but highly aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that remains confined to the CNS neuroaxis. The diagnosis of PCNSL requires a high level of suspicion as clinical presentation varies depending on the involved CNS areas. Neurological symptoms and MRI findings may mimic gliomas, demyelinating lesions, or infectious and granulomatous diseases. Almost all PCNSL patients undergo invasive surgical procedures for definite diagnosis. Stereotactic biopsy is still the gold standard in achieving a diagnostic accuracy of 73–97%. Both the potential procedural morbidity and mortality, as well as the time to definite histopathologic diagnosis resulting in delays of treatment initiation, have to be considered. On the contrary, minimally invasive procedures, such as MRI, CSF cytology, and flow cytometry, still have limited value due to inferior specificity and sensitivity. Hence, novel diagnostic approaches, including mutation analyses (MYD88) in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and the determination of microRNAs (miR-21, miR-19b, and miR-92) as well as cytokine levels (IL10 and IL6) in blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and vitreous fluid (VRF), move into the focus of investigation to facilitate the diagnosis of PCNSL. In this review, we outline the most promising approaches that are currently under clinical consideration.

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Antimicrobial susceptibility and diarrheagenic diagnosis of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica isolated from feral pigeons (Columba livia) captured in Fortaleza, Brazil

Pesquisa Veterinária Brasileira ◽

10.1590/1678-5150-pvb-5633 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 38 (11) ◽

pp. 2150-2154 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ruben V. Horn ◽

Windleyanne G.A. Bezerra ◽

Elisângela S. Lopes ◽

Régis S.C. Teixeira ◽

Isaac N.G. Silva ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

Clavulanic Acid ◽

Antimicrobial Susceptibility ◽

Salmonella Enterica ◽

Columba Livia ◽

Susceptibility Test ◽

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Test ◽

E Coli ◽

Feral Pigeons

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to isolate Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica from captured feral pigeons in Fortaleza, Brazil, and, in addition to evaluate the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles and diagnose diarrheagenic E. coli strains. Pigeons were captured in four public locations in Fortaleza with three techniques. Individual cloacal swab samples were collected and submitted to bacterial isolation, biochemical identification and antimicrobial susceptibility test. Disk diffusion technique was used with twelve antibiotics. E. coli strains were submitted to DNA extraction followed by PCR to diagnose five diarrheagenic pathotypes. A total of 124 birds were captured. One bird was positive for Salmonella enterica (0.81%) and 121 (97.58%) were positive for E. coli. Among these, 110 isolates were submitted to antimicrobial susceptibility test and 28.18% (31/110) presented resistance to at least one antibiotic. Resistance to azithromycin was the most frequent (21.82%), followed by tetracycline (10.91%) and sulfamethoxazole with trimethoprim (8.9%). Multidrug resistance, calculated as a resistance to at least 3 antimicrobial classes, was identified in 3.64% (4/110) of strains. The maximum number of antimicrobial classes to which one strain was resistant was seven. Results demonstrated nine different resistance profiles and the most frequent was tetracycline and sulfamethoxazole with trimethoprim (4 strains), followed by chloramphenicol, azithromycin, tetracycline and sulfamethoxazole with trimethoprim (3 strains). Amoxicillin with clavulanic acid and tobramycin presented lowest levels of antimicrobial resistance, to which none of the tested strains were resistant. A single strain was positive for the eltB gene, which is a diagnostic tool to identify the Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) pathotype. None of the other investigated genes (stx1, stx2, estA, eaeA, ipaH, aatA and aaiC) were identified. The single isolate of S. enterica was a rough strain of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica, but serotype identification was not possible. However, this isolate presented resistance to amoxicillin, amoxicillin with clavulanic acid, tetracycline and sulfamethoxazole with trimethoprim. Therefore, captured feral pigeons of Fortaleza presented a low prevalence of S. enterica and diarrheagenic E. coli. Considering the investigated pathogens, our results suggest a good health status and a low public health risk. However, important antimicrobial resistance profiles were identified.

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