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Avian malaria in Brazilian passerine birds: parasitism detected by nested PCR using DNA from stained blood smears

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2004

S. F. RIBEIRO ,
F. SEBAIO ,
F. C. S. BRANQUINHO ,
M. Â. MARINI ,
A. R. VAGO  and
É. M. BRAGA
S. F. RIBEIRO
Affiliation:
Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos 6627, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
F. SEBAIO
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
F. C. S. BRANQUINHO
Affiliation:
Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos 6627, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
M. Â. MARINI
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil Current address: Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade de Brasília, 70910-900, Brasília, DF, Brasil.
A. R. VAGO
Affiliation:
Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
É. M. BRAGA
Affiliation:
Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos 6627, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Abstract

The microscopical examination of Giemsa-stained thin blood smears and a nested PCR were performed to detect avian Plasmodium in 275 passerine birds from small and large fragments of Atlantic Forest, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The 275 blood smears were used both for the microscopical examination and nested PCR providing the DNA template used for the reactions. The sensitivity of the nested PCR assay was higher than that observed for blood smears through microscopical examination. High prevalence (39·6%) of Plasmodium infections was detected by nested PCR while the microscopical examination detected only 16·5% positive birds. Poor agreement was observed between the results of the two different tests. The PCR data obtained were correlated to the forest fragment size of the Atlantic Forest and also correlated to the biological characteristics of the birds (nest type construction, diet, participation in mixed-species flocks, age and sex). Birds captured in the large forest areas were more infected than birds captured in the small areas (51·9% and 28·5%, respectively). Diet and participation in mixed-species flocks were correlated to the Plasmodium parasitism. The insectivorous birds and those that participated in mixed-species flocks were more frequently infected (47% and 41·5%, respectively) than the other groups.

Keywords

Plasmodiumpolymerase chain reactionAtlantic Forest birds18S SSU rRNAGiemsa-stained blood smearsfragmentation
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 130 , Issue 3 , March 2005 , pp. 261 - 267
Copyright
2004 Cambridge University Press

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