Prevalence Differs by Sex in Louisiana Wild Turkeys ().

Eastern wild turkeys () in Louisiana have not fully recovered since their decline in the mid-20th century, despite multiple conservation management efforts. Wild turkeys are susceptible to infection and also serve as reservoirs of parasites. In this study, we tested for Haemosporidian infections (, , and ) in 106 different blood samples collected from hunted and live-trapped turkeys in Louisiana using PCR and sequencing of amplicons. was the most prevalent genus (92%) and had the highest species diversity among the three genera. One-third of our samples were positive for infection, significantly less than but similar to . Male turkeys were more likely to be infected by parasites than females. We detected two species, and , the latter possibly being the first detection in North America. There were four times as many turkeys infected with all three genera of Haemosporidia than uninfected turkeys. Last, we present a case study of an emaciated wild turkey in Louisiana; its death was attributed to infection Future research into the pathology of infections will clarify whether parasites may contribute to population declines in turkeys through mortality or negative reproduction impacts, and whether one sex is more tolerant to infection than the other.