| Abstract [eng] |
Prevalence and Genetic Diversity of Lankesterella Species (Apicomplexa, Coccidida) in Juveniles of Acrocephalus Birds Summery Lankesterella (Lankesterellidae) parasites belong to the Apicomplexa phylum. They infect amphibians, lizards, and have been reported in birds. In birds, these parasites have been usually referred as belonging to Hepatozoon species however, recent molecular genetic data showed that they are more closely related to Lankesterella species. Because little is known about these pathogens, including their distribution, life cycle, hosts, vectors, and molecular characterization, the objective of the present study was to investigate the prevalence and genetic diversity of Lankesterella sp. in Acrocephalus juveniles birds combining molecular genetics and microscopic diagnostic tools. Birds of the genus Acrocephalus are migratory and are infected with a wide variety of parasites. Infections in juvenile birds can be considered as an indicator of local parasite transmission. In total, 264 juveniles belonging to four Acrocephalus species were examined. The overall prevalence of Lankesterella infection in Acrocephalus birds was 6.4% (17 of 264). All blood samples of Acrocephalus arundinaceus were negative, the prevalence of infection was 8% in Acrocephalus schoenobaenus, 5% in Acrocephalus palustris and 6% in Acrocephalus scirpaceus. When the sequences of the 17 positive samples were compared, five new closely related Lankesterella sp. haplotypes (1-5) were identified. Acrocephalus schoenobaenus was infected by haplotypes 1 and 2, Acrocephalus palustris by haplotype 3 and 5, and Acrocephalus scirpaceus by haplotypes 4 and 5. This study proved that the transmission of all these haplotypes takes place in Europe. Blood stages of these parasite haplotypes were determined and described for the first time. However, it is still unclear if the life cycle of found parasites is the same as proposed for these parasites in lizards and amphibians. Further investigation is needed to clarify this subject. |
