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Low occurrence of hemosporidian parasites in the Neotropic cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus) in Chile

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Abstract

Hemosporidian parasites rarely infect aquatic birds. Few studies have been conducted in South America identifying some lineages of the genera Plasmodium, Leucocytozoon, and Haemoproteus, but none has been done in the Neotropic cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus). This species is widely distributed through the American continent, from Southern USA to Tierra del Fuego, using a wide range of aquatic habitats. We molecularly studied the occurrence and diversity of hemosporidian lineages infecting individuals of Neotropic cormorant across a broad latitudinal gradient in Chile (Arica to Tierra del Fuego). As expected, a very low occurrence of individuals infected by Plasmodium sp. (4/123, 3.3%) and Leucocytozoon sp. (2/123, 1.6%) was detected. We found no evidence of Haemoproteus sp. We identified one lineage of Plasmodium (ZEMAC01) and one new lineage of Leucocytozoon (PHABRA01) infecting cormorants. Individuals infected by Plasmodium sp. were birds from only one site (i.e., Chillán), whereas Leucocytozoon sp. was found in one bird from Valdivia and another one from Tierra del Fuego. Our results expand the known range of hemosporidian parasite lineages in aquatic birds providing an essential baseline data that contribute to a better understanding of the geographic range of hemosporidian parasites infecting Phalacrocoracidae in South America.

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Acknowledgments

P. R. was supported by Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico (FONDECYT 3150617) and C. V. was supported by Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico (FONDECYT 11130305). We also thank the Wildlife Conservation Society, José Luis Bastias, Edgar Carcamo, Omar Jimenez, Nicolás Martin, Joana Micael, Miguel Millon, Rodrigo Munzenmayer, Felipe Pontigo, Roberto Rosas, and Pedro Alvarez for field and laboratory support. We thank two anonymous reviewers whose comments and suggestions helped improve this manuscript.

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  1. Instituto de Patología Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile

    Rodrigues Pedro, Navarrete Claudio, Campos Elena & Verdugo Claudio

  2. Programa de Investigación Aplicada en Fauna Silvestre, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile

    Verdugo Claudio

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  1. Rodrigues Pedro
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The present study was conducted according to the animal welfare guidelines of the Bioethical Committee of the Universidad Austral de Chile and with permission 7597/2016 from the Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero (SAG) and permission 019/2015 from the Corporación Nacional Forestal (CONAF). All experiments comply with the current laws of the Republic of Chile.

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Pedro, R., Claudio, N., Elena, C. et al. Low occurrence of hemosporidian parasites in the Neotropic cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus) in Chile. Parasitol Res 118, 325–333 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-018-6146-6

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