Prevalence and Genetic Diversity of Avian Blood Parasites (Apicomplexa: Haemosporidia) in Songbirds from the West of Iran

Haemosporidian parasites, which encompass Haemoproteus, Plasmodium, and Leucocytozoon, are intracellular parasites commonly found in the blood and other tissues of birds worldwide. The prevalence of these parasites can vary depending on the bird species and the habitats they inhabit. Notably, the highest diversity of Haemosporidian parasites has been observed within the Passeriformes order of birds. In our study, we collected ۱۴۵ blood samples from wild songbirds in the western region of Iran during the period from April to November ۲۰۲۱-۲۰۲۲. Blood smears were prepared using the push-slide method and subsequently stained with Giemsa. The stained smears were then examined under a light microscope, and all samples were screened using a nested PCR protocol that targeted a ۴۷۹-base-pair segment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) gene of Haemoproteus, Plasmodium, and Leucocytozoon species. Among the seven songbird families we sampled, we detected blood parasites in ۳۱ individuals, representing an infection rate of ۲۱.۴% (۹۵% CI: ۰.۱۵۰۱ to ۰.۲۸۹۶). These infected individuals belonged to five different families, and a total of ۲۱ lineages were identified, including thirteen for Leucocytozoon spp, seven for Haemoproteus spp, and one for Plasmodium spp. Notably, the highest infection rates were observed in the Paridae family (۹.۷%, ۹۵% CI: ۰.۰۵۳۷ to ۰.۱۵۶۷) and the Motacillidae family (۴.۸%, ۹۵% CI: ۰.۰۱۹۶ to ۰.۰۹۷۰), while the lowest infection rates were recorded in the Corvidae family (۱.۴%, ۹۵% CI: ۰.۰۰۱۶ to ۰.۰۴۹۰) and the Acrocephalidae family (۱.۴%, ۹۵% CI: ۰.۰۰۱۶ to ۰.۰۴۹۰). Additionally, our study documented two new host species for Leucocytozoon spp. (Motacilla flava and Acrocephalus melanopogon), marking the first such observations globally. We also established five new host records (Motacilla flava, Pica pica, Acrocephalus melanopogon, Poecile lugubris, and Acrocephalus agricola) for avian haemosporidian parasites in the western region of Iran. These findings underscore the remarkable lineage diversity within the Leucocytozoon genus compared to other haemosporidian parasites in songbirds in western Iran, setting our study apart from previous research in Iran.

کلیدواژه ها:

Haemoproteus ، haemosporidian parasites ، Plasmodium ، Leucocytozoon spp ، wild birds