From Africa to Europe: evidence of transmission of a tropical Plasmodium lineage in Spanish populations of house sparrows.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Avian malaria parasites are a highly diverse group that commonly infect birds and have deleterious effects on their hosts. Some parasite lineages are geographically widespread and infect many host species in many regions. Bird migration, natural dispersal, invasive species and human-mediated introductions into areas where competent insect vectors are present, are probably the main drivers of the current distribution of avian malaria parasites.

Methods

A total of 412 and 2588 wild house sparrows (Passer domesticus) were captured in 2012 and 2013 in two areas of the Iberian Peninsula (central and southern Spain, respectively). Genomic DNA was extracted from blood samples; parasite lineages were sequenced and identified by comparing with GenBank and/or MalAvi databas

SUBMITTER: Ferraguti M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6873688 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature