Additional observations on the blood parasites of Ugandan birds.

One thousand and seventy-six birds of 26 families and 127 species were examined for hemoprotozoa; 404 birds (37%) of 41 species representing 17 families harbored one or more blood parasites. Most parasites were species of Haemoproteus which represented 95% of all parasitic infections detected. Prevalence of blood parasites in birds collected from four areas over a period of six years was relatively stable.     

Blood parasites of Nearctic-Neotropical migrant passerine birds during spring trans-Gulf migration: impact on host body condition

To test the hypothesis that migrants infected with blood parasites arrive on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico in poorer condition than uninfected birds, we examined 1705 migrant passerine birds representing 54 species of 11 families from 2 Gulf Coast sites for blood parasites. Three hundred and sixty (21.1%) were infected with 1 or more species of 4 genera of blood parasites. The prevalence of parasites was as follows: Haemoproteus spp. (11.7%), Plasmodium spp. (6.7%), Leucocytozoon spp. (1.3%), and Trypanosoma spp. (1.2%). Both prevalence and density of Haemoproteus spp. infection varied among species. We found no relationship of gender or age with the prevalence of Haemoproteus spp. infection or Plasmodium spp. infection, with the exception of the orchard oriole (Icterus spurius) for which older birds were more likely to be infected with Haemoproteus spp. than younger birds. We also found that scarlet tanagers and summer tanagers infected with species of Haemoproteus have lower fat scores than uninfected individuals and that rose-breasted grosbeaks and Baltimore orioles infected with Haemoproteus spp. have a smaller mean body mass than uninfected individuals. Blood parasites do seem to pose a physiological cost for Neotropical migrant passerines and may be important components of the ecology of these species.     

Blood parasites of some birds from Senegal

A total of 809 birds from Senegal, including 43 species and 21 families, were examined for hematozoans; 93 birds (11.5%) harbored blood parasites, with only 7 (7.5%) harboring mixed infections. Species of Haemoproteus occurred in 81.7% of the infected birds while species of Plasmodium. Trypanosoma, microfilaria and Leucocytozoon were encountered less frequently. The majority of the sample was composed of species of ploceids and estrildidis and blood parasites were most prevalent in the colonial-nesting ploceids. Prevalence of blood parasites in Senegal was low in comparison to that seen in birds from other parts of Africa.     

Blood parasites in some birds from eastern plains of Colombia.

A total of 315 birds representing 75 species (23 families) from Villavicencio and San Miguel (Meta, Colombia) were examined for haematozoa. Fifty birds (15.9%) harbored blood parasites. Microfilariae were the most common haematozoans encountered, followed by species of the genera Haemoproteus, Plasmodium and Trypanosoma. This survey included 15 new host-parasite records and 8 species of birds that were examined for haematozoa for the first time. The prevalence registered in this research was similar to others recorded in the Neotropical region, but in sharp contrast with the prevalence of blood parasites in other major land masses.     

Further observations on the blood parasites of birds in Uganda

Birds from three National Parks (Bwindi Impenetrable, Kibale, and Queen Elizabeth) in western Uganda were surveyed during the dry season in July 2003 and investigated for hematozoa by microscopic examination of stained blood films. Of 307 birds examined, representing 68 species of 15 families and four orders, 61.9% were found to be infected with blood parasites. Species of Haemoproteus (15.3% prevalence), Plasmodium (20.5%), Leucocytozoon (40.1%), Trypanosoma (11.4%), Hepatozoon (2.6%), Atoxoplasma (0.3%), and microfilariae (3.9%) were recorded. Except for Haemoproteus spp. infections, the overall prevalence of hematozoa belonging to all genera was significantly higher in this study than was previously reported in Uganda. Thirty-six species of birds were examined for blood parasites for the first time and 112 new host-parasite associations were identified. Eighty-one were at the generic and 31 at the specific level of the hematozoa. Hepatozoon and Atoxoplasma spp. were detected for the first time in Uganda.     

Avian hematozoa from west-central Bolivia

A total of 641 birds representing 135 species of 25 families from Noel Kempff Mercado National Park in west-central Bolivia was examined for hematozoa; only 33 (5.1%) harbored blood parasites. Microfilariae were the most commonly encountered hematozoans, followed, in numerical sequence, by species of Haemoproteus and Plasmodium; Trypanosoma, Atoxoplasma, and Hepatozoon were seen infrequently. The survey included 13 new host-parasite records, and 58 species of birds were examined for blood parasites for the first time; 43 were parasite-free. The low prevalence of parasitism recorded in this survey is compared to other areas in the Neotropical region and to prevalence of blood parasites in the avifauna of other major land masses.     

Avian hemosporidian parasites from northern California oak woodland and chaparral habitats

During spring-summer 2003-2004, the avian community was surveyed for hemosporidian parasites in an oak (Quercus spp.) and madrone (Arbutus spp.) woodland bordering grassland and chaparral habitats at a site in northern California, a geographic location and in habitat types not previously sampled for these parasites. Of 324 birds from 46 species (21 families) sampled (including four species not previously examined for hemosporidians), 126 (39%) were infected with parasites identified as species of one or more of the genera Plasmodium (3% of birds sampled), Haemoproteus (30%), and Leucocytozoon (11%). Species of parasite were identified by morphology in stained blood smears and were consistent with one species of Plasmodium, 11 species of Haemoproteus, and four species of Leucocytozoon. We document the presence of one of the parasite genera in seven new host species and discovered 12 new parasite species-host species associations. Hatching-year birds were found infected with parasites of all three genera. Prevalence of parasites for each genus differed significantly for the entire sample, and prevalence of parasites for the most common genus, Haemoproteus, differed significantly among bird families. Among families with substantial sample sizes, the Vireonidae (63%) and Emberizidae (70%) were most often infected with Haemoproteus spp. No evidence for parasite between-genus interaction, either positive or negative, was found. Overall prevalence of hemosporidians at the northern California sites and predominance of Haemoproteus spp. was similar to that reported in most other surveys for the USA, Canada, and the Caribbean islands.     

Avian hematozoa of some birds from Tchad.

A total of 389 birds of 32 species representing 14 families from Tchad were examined for blood parasites. Eighty-nine (22.9%) harbored infections of Haemoproteus (64%), Plasmodium (12.4%), Trypanosoma (1.1%), Atoxoplasma (=Lankesterella) (5.6%), and microfilaria (28.1%). Species of Leucocytozoon were not observed in the present study. The occurrence of the different genera differed markedly between bird families; members of the Ploceidae comprised 85% of the infected birds.     

Blood parasites of some birds from Colombia

Blood films from 421 birds of 142 species, representing 29 avian families, from the environs of Cali, Colombia, were examined for blood parsites. Only 30 (7.1%) birds of 26 species harbored hematozoa. Species of Haemoproteus (3.1%) and microfilaria (2.3%) were the most commonly encountered blood parasites; species of Leucocytozoon, Plasmodium, Akiba and Lankesterella were found in a few birds. Mixed infections with more than one genus of blood parasite were rare; most infections encountered were of low intensity.     

Blood parasites of some birds from Ghana

A total of 135 birds of 26 species in 13 families was examined for blood parasites; 43 birds (31.9%) of 13 species were infected; species of the Ploceidae were the most heavily infected. Species of Haemoproteus occurred most commonly 29 birds) while Leucocytozoon and Plasmodium species were virtually absent. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of hematozoa in birds from the mature rainforest and those in a savannah-urban setting.