Malaria outbreaks in Humboldt penguins and haemosporidian infections in avian hosts in zoos across Thailand.

ABSTRACT: Haemosporidian parasites are increasingly being recognized as emerging threats to avian populations, with the potential to cause severe morbidity, leading to population decline, and even extinction in susceptible species. In February 2022, a Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) housed at a zoo in northeastern Thailand died, later confirmed to be due to avian malaria infection. The same year, four more deaths occurred between July and November. This study aimed to (i) determine if these infections extended beyond the affected penguins to other avian species housed at the same or at other zoos across Thailand, and (ii) explore the potential genetic relationships between the parasite lineages detected in this study and those reported previously across the world. A total of 406 blood

SUBMITTER: Rahmah SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12854865 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature