Njabo Kevin Y, Cornel Anthony J, Sehgal Ravinder N M, Loiseau Claire, Buermann Wolfgang, Harrigan Ryan J, Pollinger John, Valkiūnas Gediminas, Smith Thomas B
Center for Tropical Research, UCLA Institute of the Environment, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Malar J. 2009 Aug 10;8:193. doi: 10.1186/1475-2875-8-193.
The mosquito vectors of Plasmodium spp. have largely been overlooked in studies of ecology and evolution of avian malaria and other vertebrates in wildlife.
Plasmodium DNA from wild-caught Coquillettidia spp. collected from lowland forests in Cameroon was isolated and sequenced using nested PCR. Female Coquillettidia aurites were also dissected and salivary glands were isolated and microscopically examined for the presence of sporozoites.
In total, 33% (85/256) of mosquito pools tested positive for avian Plasmodium spp., harbouring at least eight distinct parasite lineages. Sporozoites of Plasmodium spp. were recorded in salivary glands of C. aurites supporting the PCR data that the parasites complete development in these mosquitoes. Results suggest C. aurites, Coquillettidia pseudoconopas and Coquillettidia metallica as new and important vectors of avian malaria in Africa. All parasite lineages recovered clustered with parasites formerly identified from several bird species and suggest the vectors capability of infecting birds from different families.
Identifying the major vectors of avian Plasmodium spp. will assist in understanding the epizootiology of avian malaria, including differences in this disease distribution between pristine and disturbed landscapes.
疟原虫属的蚊子媒介在野生动物中鸟类疟疾及其他脊椎动物的生态学和进化研究中很大程度上被忽视了。
从喀麦隆低地森林捕获的野生柯氏蚊属蚊子中分离疟原虫DNA，并使用巢式PCR进行测序。还解剖了金色柯氏蚊雌蚊，分离唾液腺并在显微镜下检查是否存在子孢子。
总共33%（85/256）的蚊群对鸟类疟原虫属检测呈阳性，携带至少八个不同的寄生虫谱系。在金色柯氏蚊的唾液腺中记录到疟原虫属的子孢子，支持了寄生虫在这些蚊子中完成发育的PCR数据。结果表明，金色柯氏蚊、伪康诺帕斯柯氏蚊和金属柯氏蚊是非洲鸟类疟疾新的重要传播媒介。所有回收的寄生虫谱系都与先前从几种鸟类中鉴定出的寄生虫聚类，表明这些传播媒介有能力感染不同科的鸟类。
确定鸟类疟原虫属的主要传播媒介将有助于了解鸟类疟疾的动物流行病学，包括原始景观和受干扰景观中这种疾病分布的差异。
