Tostes Raquel, Martinele Isabel, Vashist Usha, Castañon Maria C M N, Pinto Priscila de Faria, Daemon Erik, D'Agosto Marta
Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brasil.
J Parasitol. 2015 Dec;101(6):687-93. doi: 10.1645/14-713. Epub 2015 Jul 22.
Haemoproteid species have a wide global distribution, and they have been described in falcon species in several parts of the world. However, few studies in South America have focused on these birds. Haemoproteus spp. infections have been reported as the causative agents of serious histopathological changes, which can lead to the death of the host. Thus, this study aimed to molecularly and phylogenetically characterize Haemoproteus spp. in Caracara plancus, to characterize aspects of parasitism through clinical analysis and biochemical parameters, and to describe the histopathology of infection. To examine these aspects, 5 southern caracaras were examined clinically, and blood samples were collected. Blood smears were subsequently utilized in parasitemia calculations, PCR amplification, and serum biochemical investigations. Histological sections of the liver, kidneys, spleen, and heart were examined to check for possible histopathological changes. The birds showed clinical signs such as pallor and prostration that are consistent with Haemoproteus spp. infection. Moreover, the examination of the blood smears revealed 0.07% parasitemia in young gametocytes only. The PCR and sequencing results confirmed that the parasites belonged to Haemoproteus spp. The activity of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) enzymes, albumin, total serum proteins, and enzymatic urea were first described in C. plancus and serve as reference for future studies of bird species parasitized by Haemoproteus spp. Histopathology results showed signs of injury that were consistent with haemosporidian infection in the tissues of the analyzed organs. The present study is preliminary, and additional studies of Haemoproteus spp. infections in other bird species are needed to better understand the relationship between parasites and hosts, because despite the low parasitemia recorded, biochemical and histopathological changes in various organs were observed.
血变原虫种类在全球分布广泛，在世界多个地区的隼类中都有相关描述。然而，南美洲针对这些鸟类的研究较少。血变原虫属感染已被报道为严重组织病理学变化的病原体，可导致宿主死亡。因此，本研究旨在从分子和系统发育角度对平脸卡拉鹰中的血变原虫属进行特征描述，通过临床分析和生化参数来描述寄生现象的各个方面，并描述感染的组织病理学。为研究这些方面，对5只南方卡拉鹰进行了临床检查并采集了血样。随后，血涂片被用于计算虫血症、进行PCR扩增以及血清生化研究。对肝脏、肾脏、脾脏和心脏的组织切片进行检查，以查看是否存在可能的组织病理学变化。这些鸟类表现出与血变原虫属感染相符的临床症状，如苍白和虚脱。此外，血涂片检查仅在年轻配子体中发现了0.07%的虫血症。PCR和测序结果证实这些寄生虫属于血变原虫属。天冬氨酸转氨酶（AST）和丙氨酸转氨酶（ALT）、白蛋白、总血清蛋白以及尿素酶的活性首次在平脸卡拉鹰中得到描述，可为未来受血变原虫属寄生的鸟类物种研究提供参考。组织病理学结果显示，在被分析器官的组织中存在与血孢子虫感染相符的损伤迹象。本研究是初步的，需要对其他鸟类物种的血变原虫属感染进行更多研究，以更好地理解寄生虫与宿主之间的关系，因为尽管记录的虫血症较低，但在各个器官中观察到了生化和组织病理学变化。
