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Haemosporidian infection in passerine birds from Lower Saxony

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Abstract

Blood samples from 94 coal tits (Parus ater), 56 great tits (Parus major) and 219 pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca), caught between 1993 and 2002 at two localities in Lower Saxony, Germany, were examined for haemosporidian infection by parasite-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A simple PCR targeting the 18 SSU rRNA gene of the parasites was used for rapid screening of the samples and generated a total infection prevalence of 20.6% (76/369): 6.8% (n = 15) of the pied flycatchers, 19.1% (n = 18) of the coal tits and 76.8% (n = 43) of the great tits were infected. The positive specimens were re-examined by a cytochrome b gene-directed nested PCR producing significantly longer DNA fragments (approx. 520 bp) that were sequenced and analysed against GenBank-deposited nucleotide sequences. In various numbers (once to 30 times), a total of 13 parasitic DNA sequences differing from 2.9 to 8.5% (13–45 nucleotides) were demonstrated in the three bird species. Due to similarities of 98–100% with GenBank entries, 11 sequences could be assigned to Plasmodium sp. and two to the genus Haemoproteus. In summary, 57 birds were infected with Plasmodium and 19 with Haemoproteus, corresponding to 15.4 and 5.1% of all birds examined, and to 75 and 25% of all birds tested positive. As the only defined species, Haemoproteus majoris was identified in 17 great tits.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all people who participated in collecting avian blood samples (they are acknowledged in the publications cited in the respective part of the Methods section) and S. Bleidissel, M. Orland and C. Wallnisch (Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Bonn) for technical laboratory assistance. The studies for which the blood samples were originally obtained were supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Lu572/1 and Lu572/2), while the specific aims of this study were supported by the Deutsche Ornithologen-Gesellschaft.

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Correspondence to T. Lubjuhn.

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Communicated by F. Bairlein.

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Wiersch, S.C., Lubjuhn, T., Maier, W.A. et al. Haemosporidian infection in passerine birds from Lower Saxony. J Ornithol 148, 17–24 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-006-0094-0

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