Patterns of Plasmodium homocircumflexum virulence in experimentally infected passerine birds.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Avian malaria parasites (genus Plasmodium) are cosmopolitan and some species cause severe pathologies or even mortality in birds, yet their virulence remains fragmentally investigated. Understanding mechanisms and patterns of virulence during avian Plasmodium infections is crucial as these pathogens can severely affect bird populations in the wild and cause mortality in captive individuals. The goal of this study was to investigate the pathologies caused by the recently discovered malaria parasite Plasmodium homocircumflexum (lineage pCOLL4) in four species of European passeriform birds.

Methods

One cryopreserved P. homocircumflexum strain was multiplied and used for experimental infections. House sparrows (Passer domesticus), common chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs

SUBMITTER: Ilgunas M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6528185 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature