Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 30, 2026
Field Postmortem Rabies Rapid Immunochromatographic Diagnostic Test for Resource-Limited Settings with Further Molecular Applications
Published on: June 29, 2020
PCR-based detection and genotyping of haematozoa (Protozoa) parasitizing eagle owls, Bubo bubo
Joaquín Ortego1, Pedro J Cordero
1Grupo de Investigación de la Biodiversidad Genética y Cultural, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos-IREC (CSIC, UCLM, JCCM), Ronda de Toledo s/n, E-13005 Ciudad Real, Spain. joaquin.ortego@mncn.csic.es
Abstract:
We genetically analysed haematozoa parasites (Protozoa) isolated from nestling eagle owls (Bubo bubo) in Toledo province, Central Spain. A total of 206 nestlings from 74 nests were screened for parasites of the genera Leucocytozoon, Plasmodium, and Haemoproteus using a very efficient polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approach that amplifies a partial segment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of these parasites. PCR-based detection and sequence analyses revealed a unique lineage of Leucocytozoon (EO1) parasitizing nestling eagle owls. Ocular examination of blood smears identified these parasites as Leucocytozoon ziemanni, the only species deemed valid in owls based on morphology. Preliminary phylogenetic analyses using homologous published sequences isolated from other owl species suggest that L. ziemanni constitutes a monophyletic clade that may be composed by a complex of genetically differentiated cryptic species.
