Temporal changes in mosquito abundance (Culex pipiens), avian malaria prevalence and lineage composition

AbstractAvian malaria parasites can negatively affect many aspects of the life of the passerines. Though these parasites may strongly affect the health and thus migration patterns of the birds also during autumn, previous studies on avian malaria focused mainly on the spring migration and the breeding periods of the birds. We investigated whether the prevalence of blood parasites varies in relation to biometrical traits, body condition and arrival time in the European Robin (Erithacus rubecula) during autumn migration. We found no sex or age related differences in avian malaria prevalence and no relationship between infection status and body size or actual condition of the birds was found either. However, the timing of autumn migration differed marginally between infected and non-infected juveniles, so that parasitized individuals arrived later at the Hungarian stopover site. This is either because avian malaria infections adversely affect the migration timing or migration speed of the birds, or because later arriving individuals come from more distant populations with possibly higher blood parasite prevalence. The possible delay that parasites cause in the arrival time of the birds during autumn migration could affect the whole migratory strategy and the breeding success of the birds in the next season.

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Avian malaria: a new lease of life for an old experimental model to study the evolutionary ecology of Plasmodium

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2014.0300 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 370 (1675) ◽

pp. 20140300 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Romain Pigeault ◽

Julien Vézilier ◽

Stéphane Cornet ◽

Flore Zélé ◽

Antoine Nicot ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Culex Pipiens ◽

Avian Malaria ◽

Evolutionary Ecology ◽

Laboratory Research ◽

Plasmodium Relictum ◽

Natural Vector ◽

The World ◽

Experimental Laboratory ◽

Analyse Data ◽

Statistical Relationships

Avian malaria has historically played an important role as a model in the study of human malaria, being a stimulus for the development of medical parasitology. Avian malaria has recently come back to the research scene as a unique animal model to understand the ecology and evolution of the disease, both in the field and in the laboratory. Avian malaria is highly prevalent in birds and mosquitoes around the world and is amenable to laboratory experimentation at each stage of the parasite's life cycle. Here, we take stock of 5 years of experimental laboratory research carried out using Plasmodium relictum SGS1, the most prevalent avian malaria lineage in Europe, and its natural vector, the mosquito Culex pipiens . For this purpose, we compile and analyse data obtained in our laboratory in 14 different experiments. We provide statistical relationships between different infection-related parameters, including parasitaemia, gametocytaemia, host morbidity (anaemia) and transmission rates to mosquitoes. This analysis provides a wide-ranging picture of the within-host and between-host parameters that may bear on malaria transmission and epidemiology.

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The Susceptibility of Autogenous and Anautogenous Races of Culex pipiens to Infection with Avian Malaria (Plasmodium relictum)

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182000023830 ◽

1934 ◽

Vol 26 (4) ◽

pp. 512-522 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

P. Tate ◽

M. Vincent

Keyword(s):

Infection Rate ◽

Culex Pipiens ◽

Avian Malaria ◽

Infection Rates ◽

Chronic Infections ◽

Seasonal Influence ◽

Plasmodium Relictum ◽

The Difference ◽

Different Strains

1. Anautogenous English and autogenous Greek, Hungarian, Maltese and cross-bred strains of C. pipiens were infected with an Algerian and a German strain of P. relictum.2. The different strains of C. pipiens behaved similarly as regards susceptibility and transmission towards the same strain of P. relictum.3. The two strains of malaria differ in the infection rate produced in mosquitoes. The Algerian strain produces an infection rate of about 89 per cent., while that of the German strain is only about 43 per cent.4. The difference in the infection rates of the two strains is not due merely to differences in the number of gametocytes formed.5. In general C. pipiens fed on birds infected with the Algerian strain of malaria became more heavily infected than those fed on birds infected with the German strain.6. C. pipiens were infected in some cases by feeding on birds with chronic infections of the Algerian strain of P. relictum, but not when fed on birds with chronic infections of the German strain.7. No seasonal influence was found as regards the infection of C. pipiens by P. relictum.8. The Algerian strain of malaria was successfully transmitted by English, Greek, Hungarian, Maltese and Greek-Hungarian strains of C. pipiens, and the German strain of malaria by English, Greek, Maltese and Greek-English strains of C. pipiens.

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High Prevalence and Lineage Diversity of Avian Malaria in Wild Populations of Great Tits (Parus major) and Mosquitoes (Culex pipiens)

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0034964 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. e34964 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

Olivier Glaizot ◽

Luca Fumagalli ◽

Katia Iritano ◽

Fabrice Lalubin ◽

Juan Van Rooyen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Culex Pipiens ◽

Avian Malaria ◽

Parus Major ◽

Wild Populations ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Lineage Diversity

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Mosquito Communities and Avian Malaria Prevalence in Silvereyes (Zosterops lateralis) Within Forest Edge and Interior Habitats in a New Zealand Regional Park

EcoHealth ◽

10.1007/s10393-015-1039-y ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 432-440 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

David Gudex-Cross ◽

Rosemary K. Barraclough ◽

Dianne H. Brunton ◽

José G. B. Derraik

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Avian Malaria ◽

Forest Edge ◽

Malaria Prevalence ◽

Zosterops Lateralis ◽

Mosquito Communities

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Spatial Patterns of Avian Malaria Prevalence inZonotrichia capensison the Western Slope of the Peruvian Andes

Journal of Parasitology ◽

10.1645/12-147.1 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 99 (5) ◽

pp. 903-905 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

M. R. Jones ◽

Z. A. Cheviron ◽

M. D. Carling

Keyword(s):

Spatial Patterns ◽

Avian Malaria ◽

Malaria Prevalence ◽

Western Slope ◽

Peruvian Andes

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Avian malaria, ecological host traits and mosquito abundance in southeastern Amazonia

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s003118201700035x ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 144 (8) ◽

pp. 1117-1132 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

ALAN FECCHIO ◽

VINCENZO A. ELLIS ◽

JEFFREY A. BELL ◽

CHRISTIAN B. ANDRETTI ◽

FERNANDO M. D'HORTA ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Avian Malaria ◽

Transmitted Disease ◽

Bird Species ◽

Species Variation ◽

Avian Host ◽

Ecological Traits ◽

Nest Location ◽

Mosquito Abundance ◽

Flooding Season ◽

Abundance And Diversity

SUMMARYAvian malaria is a vector transmitted disease caused byPlasmodiumand recent studies suggest that variation in its prevalence across avian hosts is correlated with a variety of ecological traits. Here we examine the relationship between prevalence and diversity ofPlasmodiumlineages in southeastern Amazonia and: (1) host ecological traits (nest location, nest type, flocking behaviour and diet); (2) density and diversity of avian hosts; (3) abundance and diversity of mosquitoes; and (4) season. We used molecular methods to detectPlasmodiumin blood samples from 675 individual birds of 120 species. Based on cytochromebsequences, we recovered 89 lineages ofPlasmodiumfrom 136 infected individuals sampled across seven localities.Plasmodiumprevalence was homogeneous over time (dry season and flooding season) and space, but heterogeneous among 51 avian host species. Variation in prevalence among bird species was not explained by avian ecological traits, density of avian hosts, or mosquito abundance. However,Plasmodiumlineage diversity was positively correlated with mosquito abundance. Interestingly, our results suggest that avian host traits are less important determinants ofPlasmodiumprevalence and diversity in southeastern Amazonia than in other regions in which they have been investigated.

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