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Updated: Jul 16, 2026
Rapid Diagnosis of Avian Influenza Virus in Wild Birds: Use of a Portable rRT-PCR and Freeze-dried Reagents in the Field
Published on: August 2, 2011
No evidence for avian malaria infection during the nestling phase in a passerine bird
Catherine L Cosgrove1, Sarah C L Knowles, Karen P Day
1Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK. catherine.cosgrove@zoo.ox.ac.uk
Insights
This study investigated avian malaria in blue tit nestlings using sensitive PCR methods. No malaria parasites were detected, suggesting nestlings may not be the primary age group for initial infection.
Area of Science:
- * Avian biology and parasitology.
- * Ecology and epidemiology of wildlife diseases.
Background:
- * The age of first avian malaria infection in wild bird populations remains largely unknown.
- * Previous studies often excluded nestlings or used less sensitive diagnostic methods like blood smears.
- * Adult blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) in this population exhibit a high prevalence of Plasmodium spp. infections (approx. 30%).
Purpose of the Study:
- * To determine the prevalence of avian malaria parasites (Plasmodium and Haemoproteus) in 14-day-old blue tit nestlings.
- * To assess whether nestlings are a significant age group for initial infection with avian malaria.
- * To utilize sensitive molecular methods for parasite detection in young birds.
Main Methods:
- * Blood samples were collected from 195 blue tit nestlings at 14 days of age.
- * Nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was employed to detect avian malaria parasites.
- * Samples were screened for species of Plasmodium and Haemoproteus.
Main Results:
- * No Plasmodium or Haemoproteus infections were detected in the 195 nestlings examined.
- * A single instance of Leucocytozoon sp., a related hematozoan parasite, was identified.
- * The prevalence of avian malaria in this nestling cohort was found to be 0%.
Conclusions:
- * Blue tit nestlings at 14 days old do not appear to be infected with avian malaria parasites.
- * This suggests that either infection occurs later, the disease is not yet patent at this age, or nestlings are not exposed to vectors.
- * Further research is needed to understand the age-specific susceptibility and transmission dynamics of avian malaria in blue tits.
Abstract:
One of many uncertainties concerning the epidemiology of avian malaria in wild bird populations is the age at first infection. While nestlings, being naked and presumably immunologically naïve would seem a likely stage of first infection, most age-stratified prevalence studies have not examined the nestling cohort, whereas those that have use relatively insensitive blood smear examination to diagnose infection. In the study presented here, we used sensitive nested polymerase chain reaction methods to screen blood samples from 195, 14-day-old blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) nestlings for avian malaria parasites (species of Plasmodium and Haemoproteus). Adults in this population are commonly infected with Plasmodium spp. (prevalence c. 30%). No avian malaria infections were found in nestlings, but a single positive identification of the related hematozoan parasite, Leucocytozoon sp., was made. Our results suggest either that the nestlings were infected but the disease had not yet reached patency, or that young birds in the nest are not bitten by the insect vectors of the disease.
