Animal Research and Resource Center, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, 650500, People's Republic of China.
State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Center for Life Science, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, 650500, People's Republic of China.
Parasit Vectors. 2022 Aug 1;15(1):275. doi: 10.1186/s13071-022-05389-2.
Avian haemosporidia infect both domestic and wild birds, causing anemia, acute tissue degeneration, and depopulation in wild birds. Poultry and wild birds have been reported as common reservoirs of haemosporidia, but limited information is available for red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) in China. The present study investigated the prevalence and molecular characterization of haemosporidia in red junglefowl.
Blood samples were collected from 234 red junglefowl from Jinghong City of Yunnan Province, and genomic DNA was extracted from these samples. The prevalence of haemosporidia was determined by nested PCR targeting the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) gene. Molecular characterization was investigated based on phylogenetic analysis of cytb sequences, and associated risk factors were analyzed using the Chi-square (χ) test.
The overall prevalence of haemosporidia was 74.8% (175/234), and three species were identified, namely Haemoproteus enucleator, Leucocytozoon californicus, and Plasmodium juxtanucleare. The prevalence of haemosporidia in adult fowl (81.1%, 107/132) was significantly higher (χ = 6.32, df = 1, P = 0.012) than that in juveniles (66.7%, 68/102). Three novel haemosporidian lineages were revealed.
This study examined the prevalence and identified species of avian haemosporidians in red junglefowl, providing new information on the molecular epidemiology and geographical distribution of haemosporidian parasites. Our results indicated high prevalence and diverse species distribution of these haemosporidians in red junglefowl. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first record of haemosporidian infection in red junglefowl in China.
禽血孢子虫感染家禽和野生鸟类，导致野生鸟类贫血、急性组织退化和种群减少。家禽和野生鸟类已被报道为血孢子虫的常见宿主，但中国关于红原鸡（Gallus gallus）的信息有限。本研究调查了云南省景洪市红原鸡血孢子虫的流行情况和分子特征。
采集云南省景洪市 234 只红原鸡的血液样本，提取基因组 DNA。通过针对线粒体细胞色素 b（cytb）基因的巢式 PCR 确定血孢子虫的流行率。根据 cytb 序列的系统发育分析进行分子特征研究，并使用卡方（χ）检验分析相关风险因素。
血孢子虫的总流行率为 74.8%（175/234），鉴定出 3 种物种，分别为 Haemoproteus enucleator、Leucocytozoon californicus 和 Plasmodium juxtanucleare。成年鸡（81.1%，107/132）的血孢子虫流行率明显高于幼鸡（66.7%，68/102）（χ = 6.32，df = 1，P = 0.012）。揭示了 3 种新的血孢子虫谱系。
本研究检测了红原鸡中禽血孢子虫的流行情况并鉴定了其物种，为血孢子虫寄生虫的分子流行病学和地理分布提供了新信息。我们的结果表明，这些血孢子虫在红原鸡中具有高流行率和多样化的物种分布。据我们所知，这是中国首次记录红原鸡感染血孢子虫。
