Abstract
This study documents the presence ofPlasmodium spp. in landbirds ofcentral Polynesia. Blood samples collectedfrom eight native and introduced species fromthe island of Tutuila, American Samoa wereevaluated for the presence of Plasmodiumspp. by nested rDNA PCR, serology and/ormicroscopy. A total of 111/188 birds (59%)screened by nested PCR were positive. Detection of Plasmodium spp. was verifiedby nucleotide sequence comparisons of partial18S ribosomal RNA and TRAP(thrombospondin-related anonymous protein)genes using phylogenetic analyses. All samplesscreened by immunoblot to detect antibodiesthat cross-react with Hawaiian isolates of Plasmodium relictum (153) were negative. Lack of cross-reactivity is probably due toantigenic differences between the Hawaiian andSamoan Plasmodium isolates. Similarly,all samples examined by microscopy (214) werenegative. The fact that malaria is present,but not detectable by blood smear evaluation isconsistent with low peripheral parasitemiacharacteristic of chronic infections. Highprevalence of apparently chronic infections,the relative stability of the native land birdcommunities, and the presence of mosquitovectors which are considered endemic andcapable of transmitting avian Plasmodia,suggest that these parasites are indigenous toSamoa and have a long coevolutionary historywith their hosts.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Atkinson CT, Woods KL, Dusek RJ, Sileo LS, Iko WM(1995) Wildlife disease and conservation in Hawaii: Pathogenicity of avian malaria (Plasmodium relictum) in experimentally infected iiwi (Vestiaria coccinea). Parasitology, 111, S59–S69.
Atkinson CT, Dusek RJ, Woods KL, Iko WM (2000) Pathogenicity of avian malaria in experimentally-infected Hawaii Amakihi. J. Wildlife Dis., 36, 197–204.
Atkinson CT, Dusek RJ, Lease JK (2001) Serological responses and immunity to superinfecion with avian malaria in experimentallyinfected Hawaiian Amakihi. J. Wildlife Dis., 37, 20–27.
Benedict AA, Berestecky JM (1987) Special features of avian immunoglobulins. In: Avian Immunology: Basis and Practice, vol. 1., (eds. Toivanen A, Toivanen P), pp. 113–125. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida.
Buxton PA (1927-1935) Insects of Samoa and Other Samoan Terrestrial Arthropoda, Part VI Diptera. British Museum (Natural History), London.
Borriello F, Krauter KS (1991) Reactive site polymorphsm in the murine protease inhibitor gene family is delineated using a modi-fication of the PCR reactions (PCR+1). Nucleic Acids Res., 18, 5481–5487.
Cassin J (1858) Mammology and Ornithology, United States Exploring Expedition, During the Years 1838-1842. C. Sherman & Sons, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Feldman RA, Freed LA, Cann RL (1995) A PCR test for avian malaria in Hawaiian birds. Mol. Ecol., 4, 663–673.
Freifeld HB (1999) Habitat relationships of forest birds on Tutuila Island, American Samoa. J. Biogeography, 26, 1191–1213.
Hardy DE (1960) Insects of Hawaii Vol. 10 Diptera: Nematocera-Brachycera. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, HI.
Huff CG (1965) Susceptibility of mosquitoes to avian malaria. Exp. Parasitol., 16, 107–132.
Jacobi JD, Atkinson CT (1995) Hawaii's Endemic Birds. In: Our Living Resources: A Report to the Nation on the Distribution, Abundance and Health of US Plants, Animals and Ecosystems (eds. LaRoe ET, Farris GS, Puckett CE, Doran PD, Mac MJ), pp. 376–381. US Department of the Interior, National Biological Service, Washington DC.
Jarvi SI, Atkinson CT, Fleischer RC ( 2001) Immunogenetics and resistance to avian malaria in Hawaiian Honeycreepers (Drepanidinae). In: Evolution, Ecology, Conservation and Management of Hawaiian Birds: A Vanishing Avifauna (eds. Scott JM, Conant S, Van Riper C), Studies in Avian Biology, 22, 254–263.
Jarvi SI, Schultz JJ, Atkinson CT (2002) PCR diagnostics underestimate the prevalence of avian malaria (Plasmodium relictum) in experimentally-infected passerines. J. Parasitol., 88, 153–158.
Kami KS, Miller SE (1998) Samoan insects and related arthropods: checklist and bibliography. Bishop Museum Technical Report no. 13. Honolulu, HI.
Kirsh PV, Hunt TL (eds.) (1993) The To'aga Site: Three Millennia of Polynesian Occupation in the Manu'a Islands, American Samoa. University of California at Berkeley Archaeological Research Facility, Berkeley, California.
Kumar S, Tamura K, Jakobsen IB, Nei M (2001) MEGA2: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis software. Bioinformatics (submitted).
Laird M (1960) Migratory birds and the dispersal of avian malaria parasites in the South Pacific. Can. J. Zool., 38, 153–155.
LaPointe DA (2000) Avian Malaria in Hawaii: The Distribution, Ecology and Vector Potential of Forest-dwelling Mosquitoes. PhD thesis, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Li JR, Wirts A, McConkey GA, Sattabongkot J, McCutchan TF (1994) Transition of Plasmodium vivax ribosome types corresponds to sporozoite differentiation in the mosquito. Mol. Biochem. Parasitol., 65, 283–289.
Long EO, Dawid IB (1980) Repeated genes in eukaryotes. A. Rev. Biochem., 49, 727–764.
Mayr E (1945) Birds of the Southwest Pacific. MacMillan Company, New York.
McCutchan TF (1986) The ribosomal genes of Plasmodium. Int. Rev. Cytology, 99, 295–309.
Pratt HD, Brunner PL, Berrett DG (1987) A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific. Princeton University Press, Princeton New Jersey.
Rogers MJ, Gutell RR, Damberger SH, Li J, McConkey GA, Waters AP, McCutchan TF (1996) Structural features of the large subunit rRNA expressed in Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites that distinguish it from the asexually expressed subunit rRNA. RNA, 2, 134–145.
Rogers MJ, Li J, McCutchan TF (1998) The Plasmodium rRNA genes: Developmental regulation and drug target In: Malaria: Parasite Biology, Pathogenesis and Protection (ed. Sherman IW). ASM Press, Washington DC.
Steadman DW(1995) Prehistoric extinctions of Pacific Island birds: Biodiversity meets zooarchaeology. Science, 267, 1123–1131.
Steadman DW, Greiner EC, Wood CS (1990) Absence of Blood parasites in indigenous and introduced birds from the Cook Islands, South Pacific. Cons. Biol., 4, 398–404.
van Riper C III, van Riper SG, Goff ML, Laird M(1986) The epizootiology and ecological significance of malaria in Hawaiian land birds. Ecol. Monographs, 56, 327–344.
Voller A (1962) Fluorescent antibody studies on malaria parasites. Bull. W.H.O., 27, 283–287.
Warner RE (1968) The role of introduced diseases in the extinction of the endemic Hawaiian avifauna. Condor, 70, 101–120.
Waters AP, van Spaendonk RML, Ramesar J, Vervenne RAW, Dirks RW, Thompson J, Janse CJ (1997) Species-specific regulation and switching of transcription between stage-specific ribosomal RNA genes in Plasmodium berghei. J. Biol. Chem., 272, 3583–3589.
Wellems TE, Walliker D, Smith CL, do Rosario VE, Maloy WL, Howard RJ, Carter R, McCutchen TF (1987) A histadine-rich protein gene marks a linkage group favored strongly in a genetic cross of Plasmodium falciparum. Cell, 49, 633–642.
Wuyts J, Van de Peer Y, Winkelmans T, De Wachter R (2002) The European database on small subunit ribosomal RNA. Nucleic Acids Res., 30, 183–185.
Yorinks N, Atkinson CT (2000) Effects of malaria (Plasmodium relictum) on activity budgets of experimentally infected juvenile Apapane (Himatione sanguinea). Auk, 17, 731–738
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jarvi, S.I., Farias, M.E., Baker, H. et al. Detection of avian malaria (Plasmodium spp.) in native land birds of American Samoa. Conservation Genetics 4, 629–637 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025626529806
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025626529806