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Content with tag avian malaria parasites .

Plasmodium transmission risk differs between mosquito species and parasite lineages

Factors such as the particular combination of parasite-mosquito species, their co-evolutionary history, and the host’s parasite load greatly affect parasite transmission. However, the importance of these factors in the epidemiology of mosquito-borne parasites, such as avian malaria parasites, is largely unknown. Here, the competence of two mosquito species (Culex pipiens and Aedes (Ochlerotatus) caspius), for the transmission of four avian Plasmodium lineages...

Avian malaria parasites reduce the survival of mosquitoes

Plasmodium transmission success depends upon the trade-off between the use of host resources to favour parasite reproduction and the negative effects on host health, which can be mediated by infection intensity. Despite its potential influence on parasite dynamics, the effects of infection intensity on both, birds and vectors, and on Plasmodium transmission success are still poorly understood. Here, the Plasmodium load in naturally infected wild house sparrows was experimentally reduced with...

Louse flies of Eleonora’s falcons that also feed on their prey are evolutionary dead end hosts for blood parasites

Host shifts are widespread among avian haemosporidians, although the success of transmission depends upon parasite?host and parasite?vector compatibility. Insular avifaunas are typically characterized by a low prevalence and diversity of haemosporidians, although the underlying ecological and evolutionary processes remain unclear. This study investigated the parasite transmission network in an insular system formed by Eleonora's falcons, louse flies that parasitize the falcons , and...

Effects of host sex, body mass and infection by avian Plasmodium on the biting rate of two mosquito species with different feeding preferences

The transmission of mosquito-borne pathogens is strongly influenced by the contact rates between mosquitoes and susceptible hosts. The biting rates of mosquitoes depend on different factors including the mosquito species and host-related traits (i.e. odour, heat and behaviour). However, host characteristics potentially affecting intraspecific differences in the biting rate of mosquitoes are poorly known. Here, the impact of three host-related traits on the biting rate of two mosquito species...

Birds present worse body conditions in more urbanized areas

Human landscape transformation, especially urbanization, strongly affects ecosystems worldwide. Both urban stressors and parasites have negative effects on organism health, however the potential synergy between those factors has been poorly investigated. The body condition (i.e. body mass after controlling for wing chord) of 2043 house sparrows (Passer domesticus; adults and yearlings) captured in 45 localities along an urbanization gradient in relation to Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and...
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