Disease Ecology by Patricia G. Parker

Author:Patricia G. Parker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer International Publishing, Cham

Along with the genetic and morphological analyses of the endemic dove, we took blood samples, cloacal and choanal swabs, and used a pyrethrine insecticide dust to survey for both endo and ectoparasites. In terms of blood parasites , it rapidly became apparent that the endemic dove had an infection prevalence ≥85% for parasites of the genus Haemoproteus (Apicomplexa: Haemosporida) on all sampled islands (Padilla et al. 2004). Initial assumptions were that Haemoproteus parasites would be more prevalent in the non-native species (rock pigeons) than the resident doves, but no Haemoproteus infection was found in any of the sampled rock doves at the time of the study (Padilla et al. 2004). However, we subsequently tested 13 rock pigeons with another set of more sensitive primers, finding six positive infections with the same genetic lineage infecting endemic doves (Parker et al. unpublished). Subsequent molecular work demonstrated that the Galapagos doves had Haemoproteus parasite haplotypes closely related to those found infecting continental doves, suggestive of recent parasite colonization events from either closely related eared doves (Zenaida auriculata) or introduced rock pigeons (Santiago-Alarcon et al. 2010). A further investigation of this parasite genus revealed it was a new parasite species, Hemoproteus multipigmentatus , which is widely distributed across the American continent (Fig. 7.4a; Valkiūnas et al. 2010; Santiago-Alarcon et al. 2010). Hence, we suggest that H. multipigmentatus arrived to the Galápagos with introduced rock pigeons, subsequently switching to the endemic doves, where it is now highly prevalent and produces high parasitaemias, which is a common initial stage of a novel host-parasite association (Altizer et al. 2003; Ryan 2009).

Fig. 7.4(a) Haemoproteus (Haemoproteus) multipigmentatus (a parasite of pigeons and doves): (1) young developing gametocyte, (2) macrogametocyte, (3) microgametocyte. (Reproduced from Valkiunas et al. 2010) (b) Haemoproteus (Haemoproteus) iwa (a parasite of sea birds): (4) macrogametocyte, (5) microgametocyte. (Reproduced from Levin et al. 2011) (c) microfilariae (larvae from nematode worms) from a flightless cormorant. (Reproduced from Merkel et al. 2007)

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