A Four-Year Survey of Hemoparasites from Nocturnal Raptors (Strigiformes) Confirms a Relation between Leucocytozoon and Low Hematocrit and Body Condition Scores of Parasitized Birds
Most hemoparasites hosted by wild birds appear to be harmless, but most of the blood parasite studies in avian wildlife are mainly focused on passerines or migratory species. This study aimed to assess the occurrence of blood parasites in nocturnal raptors (Strigiformes order) and their effect on he...
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ftmdpi:oai:mdpi.com:/2306-7381/10/1/54/ 2023-08-20T04:06:19+02:00 A Four-Year Survey of Hemoparasites from Nocturnal Raptors (Strigiformes) Confirms a Relation between Leucocytozoon and Low Hematocrit and Body Condition Scores of Parasitized Birds Bárbara Martín-Maldonado Aida Mencía-Gutiérrez Cristina Andreu-Vázquez Rocío Fernández Natalia Pastor-Tiburón Alberto Alvarado Alicia Carrero Aitor Fernández-Novo Fernando Esperón Fernando González agris 2023-01-12 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10010054 EN eng Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10010054 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Veterinary Sciences; Volume 10; Issue 1; Pages: 54 blood parasites Strigiformes wild birds Leucocytozoon Haemoproteus Text 2023 ftmdpi https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10010054 2023-08-01T08:16:47Z Most hemoparasites hosted by wild birds appear to be harmless, but most of the blood parasite studies in avian wildlife are mainly focused on passerines or migratory species. This study aimed to assess the occurrence of blood parasites in nocturnal raptors (Strigiformes order) and their effect on hematological parameters. A total of 134 blood samples were collected during a four-year period for hematological analysis and hemoparasite detection and quantification by microscopical examination of the samples. Overall, the occurrence of hemoparasites was 35.1%, with Leucocytozoon being the most frequently detected (32.1%), followed by Haemoproteus (11.2%), Trypanosoma and Plasmodium (2.2% each). Among the different bird species, the Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) showed the highest blood parasite positivity (94.7%). In barn owls, the positive birds displayed a lower hematocrit measurement and body condition score than the non-parasitized ones (p = 0.007 and p = 0.005, respectively), especially those parasitized by Leucocytozoon. Moreover, the analysis of the magnitude of this association revealed that the presence of hemoparasites is five times more frequent in barn owls with a 2/5 body condition score. Despite the host–parasite coevolution in Strigiformes, our results show a correlation between the presence of hemoparasites and some health parameters, including blood parameters. Text eurasian eagle-owl MDPI Open Access Publishing Veterinary Sciences 10 1 54 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
MDPI Open Access Publishing |
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ftmdpi |
language |
English |
topic |
blood parasites Strigiformes wild birds Leucocytozoon Haemoproteus |
spellingShingle |
blood parasites Strigiformes wild birds Leucocytozoon Haemoproteus Bárbara Martín-Maldonado Aida Mencía-Gutiérrez Cristina Andreu-Vázquez Rocío Fernández Natalia Pastor-Tiburón Alberto Alvarado Alicia Carrero Aitor Fernández-Novo Fernando Esperón Fernando González A Four-Year Survey of Hemoparasites from Nocturnal Raptors (Strigiformes) Confirms a Relation between Leucocytozoon and Low Hematocrit and Body Condition Scores of Parasitized Birds |
topic_facet |
blood parasites Strigiformes wild birds Leucocytozoon Haemoproteus |
description |
Most hemoparasites hosted by wild birds appear to be harmless, but most of the blood parasite studies in avian wildlife are mainly focused on passerines or migratory species. This study aimed to assess the occurrence of blood parasites in nocturnal raptors (Strigiformes order) and their effect on hematological parameters. A total of 134 blood samples were collected during a four-year period for hematological analysis and hemoparasite detection and quantification by microscopical examination of the samples. Overall, the occurrence of hemoparasites was 35.1%, with Leucocytozoon being the most frequently detected (32.1%), followed by Haemoproteus (11.2%), Trypanosoma and Plasmodium (2.2% each). Among the different bird species, the Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) showed the highest blood parasite positivity (94.7%). In barn owls, the positive birds displayed a lower hematocrit measurement and body condition score than the non-parasitized ones (p = 0.007 and p = 0.005, respectively), especially those parasitized by Leucocytozoon. Moreover, the analysis of the magnitude of this association revealed that the presence of hemoparasites is five times more frequent in barn owls with a 2/5 body condition score. Despite the host–parasite coevolution in Strigiformes, our results show a correlation between the presence of hemoparasites and some health parameters, including blood parameters. |
format |
Text |
author |
Bárbara Martín-Maldonado Aida Mencía-Gutiérrez Cristina Andreu-Vázquez Rocío Fernández Natalia Pastor-Tiburón Alberto Alvarado Alicia Carrero Aitor Fernández-Novo Fernando Esperón Fernando González |
author_facet |
Bárbara Martín-Maldonado Aida Mencía-Gutiérrez Cristina Andreu-Vázquez Rocío Fernández Natalia Pastor-Tiburón Alberto Alvarado Alicia Carrero Aitor Fernández-Novo Fernando Esperón Fernando González |
author_sort |
Bárbara Martín-Maldonado |
title |
A Four-Year Survey of Hemoparasites from Nocturnal Raptors (Strigiformes) Confirms a Relation between Leucocytozoon and Low Hematocrit and Body Condition Scores of Parasitized Birds |
title_short |
A Four-Year Survey of Hemoparasites from Nocturnal Raptors (Strigiformes) Confirms a Relation between Leucocytozoon and Low Hematocrit and Body Condition Scores of Parasitized Birds |
title_full |
A Four-Year Survey of Hemoparasites from Nocturnal Raptors (Strigiformes) Confirms a Relation between Leucocytozoon and Low Hematocrit and Body Condition Scores of Parasitized Birds |
title_fullStr |
A Four-Year Survey of Hemoparasites from Nocturnal Raptors (Strigiformes) Confirms a Relation between Leucocytozoon and Low Hematocrit and Body Condition Scores of Parasitized Birds |
title_full_unstemmed |
A Four-Year Survey of Hemoparasites from Nocturnal Raptors (Strigiformes) Confirms a Relation between Leucocytozoon and Low Hematocrit and Body Condition Scores of Parasitized Birds |
title_sort |
four-year survey of hemoparasites from nocturnal raptors (strigiformes) confirms a relation between leucocytozoon and low hematocrit and body condition scores of parasitized birds |
publisher |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10010054 |
op_coverage |
agris |
genre |
eurasian eagle-owl |
genre_facet |
eurasian eagle-owl |
op_source |
Veterinary Sciences; Volume 10; Issue 1; Pages: 54 |
op_relation |
https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10010054 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10010054 |
container_title |
Veterinary Sciences |
container_volume |
10 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
54 |
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1774717330205442048 |