Plasmodium and beyond - haemosporidian parasites of a Malagasy bird population

Abstract text

Haemosporida are important intracellular protozoan parasites. In addition to the genus Plasmodium, other genera also belong to this order: Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon, among others. Whereas species of the order Plasmodium can be found in all vertebrate taxa, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon are specialized on birds. Basic knowledge of prevalence, diversity and impact of all avian haemosporidian parasites is still scarce. A long-term, large-scale molecular study of a bird population in Madagascar is providing new insights into the parasite population that exists there. An enormous number of unknown haemosporidian lineages were found, showing that Madagascar is not only a biodiversity hotspot for birds, but also for their parasites. Each haemosporidian parasite differs in its degree of host specialization and abundance. Understanding those parasite-host interactions is crucial to assess the impact of these parasites on the environment.