John A. Reed
Joel A. Schmutz
Tom F. Fondell
Brandt W. Meixell
Jerry W. Hupp
David H. Ward
John Terenzi
Craig R. Ely
Andrew M. Ramey
2014
<p>A total of 842 blood samples collected from five species of tundra-nesting geese in Alaska was screened for haemosporidian parasites using molecular techniques. Parasites of the genera<em>Leucocytozoon</em> Danilewsky, 1890, <em>Haemoproteus</em> Kruse, 1890, and <em>Plasmodium</em> Marchiafava and Celli, 1885 were detected in 169 (20%), 3 (<1%), and 0 (0%) samples, respectively. Occupancy modeling was used to estimate prevalence of <em>Leucocytozoon</em> parasites and assess variation relative to species, age, sex, geographic area, year, and decade. Species, age, and decade were identified as important in explaining differences in prevalence of <em>Leucocytozoon</em>parasites. <em>Leucocytozoon</em> parasites were detected in goslings sampled along the Arctic Coastal Plain using both historic and contemporary samples, which provided support for transmission in the North American Arctic. In contrast, lack of detection of <em>Haemoproteus</em> and <em>Plasmodium</em>parasites in goslings (<em>n</em> = 238) provided evidence to suggest that the transmission of parasites of these genera may not occur among waterfowl using tundra habitats in Alaska, or alternatively, may only occur at low levels. Five haemosporidian genetic lineages shared among different species of geese sampled from two geographic areas were indicative of interspecies parasite transmission and supported broad parasite or vector distributions. However, identical<em>Leucocytozoon</em> and <em>Haemoproteus</em> lineages on public databases were limited to waterfowl hosts suggesting constraints in the range of parasite hosts.</p>
application/pdf
10.1139/cjz-2014-0041
en
NRC Research Press
Prevalence, transmission, and genetic diversity of blood parasites infecting tundra-nesting geese in Alaska
article