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Investigation of blood parasites of pygoscelid penguins at the King George and Elephant Islands, South Shetlands Archipelago, Antarctica

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Abstract

Parasites may adversely affect the breeding success and survival of penguins, potentially hampering the viability of their populations. We examined 161 pygoscelid penguins (3 Pygoscelis adeliae, 98 Pygoscelis antarcticus, and 60 Pygoscelis papua) at the South Shetlands Archipelago during the 2010–2011 summer; blood smears were examined for 64 penguins (2 P. adeliae, 18 P. antarcticus, and 44 P. papua), and a PCR test targeting Haemoproteus sp. and Plasmodium sp. was applied for 37 penguins (2 P. adeliae, 17 P. antarcticus, 19 P. papua). No blood parasites were observed, and all PCR tests were negative, leukocyte profiles were similar to those reported in other studies for wild pygoscelid penguins, and all penguins were in good body condition and had no external signs of disease. One specimen of chewing lice (Austrogoniodes sp.) was recorded in one P. antarcticus at King George Island. Ticks (Ixodes uriae) were not observed on the penguins, but were found on the ground near P. antarcticus nests at King George Island. The absence of avian blood parasites in Antarctic penguins is thought to result from the absence of competent invertebrate hosts in the climatic conditions. Predicted climate changes may redefine the geographic distribution of vector-borne pathogens, and therefore, the occurrence of blood parasites and their invertebrate hosts should be monitored regularly in Antarctic birds, particularly in the northernmost Antarctic Peninsula.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by FAPESP (2009/53956-9, 2010/51801-5), MCT/CNPq (557049/2009-1), INCT-APA (CNPq 574018/2008-5, FAPERJ E-26/170.023/2008), Mount Sinai School of Medicine (Fogarty International Center 1D43TW00640) and supported by UNISINOS, UFRJ, ICB-USP, PROANTAR, MMA, MCTI, CIRM, and Marinha do Brasil.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Patologia Comparada de Animais Selvagens, Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Orlando Marques de Paiva, 87. Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, SP, 05508-270, Brazil

    Ralph Eric Thijl Vanstreels, Flavia R. Miranda, Valeria Ruoppolo & José Luiz Catão-Dias

  2. Wildlife Conservation Society, São Paulo, Brazil

    Flavia R. Miranda

  3. International Fund for Animal Welfare, São Paulo, Brazil

    Valeria Ruoppolo

  4. Laboratório de Radioisótopos Eduardo Penna Franca, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Erli Schneider Costa, Adriana Rodrigues de Lira Pessôa, João Paulo Machado Torres & Larissa Schmauder Teixeira da Cunha

  5. Laboratório de Ecologia de Aves, Instituto de Biologia Roberto Alcântara Gomes, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Ana Olívia de Almeida Reis & Erli Schneider Costa

  6. Laboratório de Ornitologia e Animais Marinhos, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, São Leopoldo, Brazil

    Roberta da Cruz Piuco & Maria Virginia Petry

  7. Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, São Leopoldo, Brazil

    Victor Hugo Valiati

  8. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile

    Daniel González-Acuña

  9. Laboratório de Parasitologia, Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Marcelo B. Labruna

  10. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Sabrina Epiphanio

Authors
  1. Ralph Eric Thijl Vanstreels
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  2. Flavia R. Miranda
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  3. Valeria Ruoppolo
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  4. Ana Olívia de Almeida Reis
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  5. Erli Schneider Costa
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  6. Adriana Rodrigues de Lira Pessôa
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  7. João Paulo Machado Torres
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  8. Larissa Schmauder Teixeira da Cunha
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  9. Roberta da Cruz Piuco
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  10. Victor Hugo Valiati
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  11. Daniel González-Acuña
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  12. Marcelo B. Labruna
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  13. Maria Virginia Petry
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  14. Sabrina Epiphanio
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  15. José Luiz Catão-Dias
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ralph Eric Thijl Vanstreels.

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Vanstreels, R.E.T., Miranda, F.R., Ruoppolo, V. et al. Investigation of blood parasites of pygoscelid penguins at the King George and Elephant Islands, South Shetlands Archipelago, Antarctica. Polar Biol 37, 135–139 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-013-1401-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-013-1401-x

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