Do Invasive Mosquito and Bird Species Alter Avian Malaria Parasite Transmission?

• Main Authors: Josué Martínez-de la Puente, Alazne Díez-Fernández, Tomás Montalvo, Rubén Bueno-Marí, Quentin Pangrani, Ramón C. Soriguer, Juan Carlos Senar, Jordi Figuerola
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-03-01
• Series: Diversity
• Subjects: <i>aedes albopictus</i>; avian malaria; <i>haemoproteus</i>; invasive species; <i>leucocytozoon</i>; mosquitoes; parrots; <i>plasmodium</i>
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/3/111

Alien mosquito and vertebrate host species may create novel epidemiological scenarios for the transmission of pathogens naturally circulating in the invaded area. The exotic Monk parakeet (<i>Myiopsitta monachus</i>) has established populations in Europe and is currently considered an invasive pest. Due to their high abundance in urban areas, Monk parakeets could be involved in the transmission of pathogens, potentially affecting wildlife and livestock. To test this hypothesis, we determined the prevalence and diversity of three vector-borne parasites, namely <i>Plasmodium</i>, <i>Haemoproteus</i> and <i>Leucocytozoon</i>, in Monk parakeets from Barcelona. Many areas of southern Europe shelter high densities of the invasive Asian tiger mosquito <i>Aedes albopictus</i>, which in addition to native mosquito species could affect the transmission of mosquito-borne parasites, such as avian <i>Plasmodium</i>. Thus, we also sampled mosquitoes in the area to trace their blood-feeding hosts and determine the presence of <i>Plasmodium</i> parasites. Monk parakeets were neither infected by <i>Plasmodium</i> nor by <i>Haemoproteus</i> parasites, and only five individuals (3.13%; <i>n</i> = 160) were infected by <i>Leucocytozoon</i>. Monk parakeets were bitten by <i>Culiseta longiareolata</i> and represented 9.5% of <i>Culex pipiens</i> blood meals. The invasive <i>Ae. albopictus</i> showed a clear anthropophilic feeding pattern, with humans dominating its diet. Three <i>Plasmodium</i> lineages were detected in pools of <i>Cx pipiens</i>. These results suggest that <i>Plasmodium</i> circulating in the area cannot develop in the invasive Monk parakeet, in spite of the relatively high fraction of native mosquito vectors feeding on this species in its invaded distribution range.