Study shows how parasites
co-infect
Date: August 31, 2016
Source: Griffith University
The Griffith University study
investigated parasite interactions in wild birds and found they are a crucial
indicator of malaria infection risk. The study "Co-infections and
environmental conditions drive the distributions of blood parasites in wild
birds" has been published in the Journal of Animal Ecology.
An Environmental Futures Research
Institute team, led by Dr Nicholas Clark, captured hundreds of wild birds
across the South Pacific archipelago of New Caledonia and examined them for
malaria and parasitic worms. Detailed DNA screening methods were used to distinguish
different parasite strains in the animals.
They found that not only the
bird's habitat but also the interactions between parasites can impact a bird's
risk of malaria infection.
"Finding that interactions
among parasite species may play important roles in determining a host's
infection risk means that we need to look in more detail at how malaria and
parasitic worms interact," says Dr Sonya Clegg, senior author of the study
from Oxford University and adjunct researcher at Griffith Universities Environmental
Futures Research Institute.
"It may advance our
understanding of parasitic disease in both humans and wildlife."
The research revealed nine
genetic strains of avian malaria as well as three strains of microfilaria, a
parasitic worm that is similar to heartworm in dogs and filarial worms in
humans. Malaria and other vector-transmitted parasites can be just as harmful
to bird health as they are to humans.
Overall, researchers found that
co-infections occurred in 36 per cent of infected birds.
"Studying the distribution
of parasites in wildlife species is a fundamental first step to understand
potential threats and to manage disease risks that may cause wildlife declines.
By recording parasites in four bird species on different islands and in different
vegetation types, we could identify factors that are most influential in
driving a bird's risk of infection," says Dr Clark.
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