| associations between malaria and mhc genes in a migratory songbird. | malaria parasites are a widespread and species-rich group infecting many wild populations of mammals, birds and reptiles. studies on humans have demonstrated that genetic factors play a key role in the susceptibility and outcome of malaria infections. until the present study, it has not been examined whether genetic variation in hosts is important for the outcome of malaria infections in natural avian populations. we investigated associations between major histocompatibility complex (mhc) genes ... | 2005 | 16011927 |
| linkage between mitochondrial cytochrome b lineages and morphospecies of two avian malaria parasites, with a description of plasmodium (novyella) ashfordi sp. nov. | numerous lineages of avian malaria parasites of the genus plasmodium have been deposited in genbank. however, only seven morphospecies have been linked to these lineages. this study linked two molecular sequences with morphospecies of malaria parasites. two species of plasmodium (mitochondrial cytochrome b gene lineages p-grw2 and p-grw4) were isolated from naturally infected adult great reed warblers (acrocephalus arundinaceus) and inoculated to naive juvenile individuals of the same host speci ... | 2007 | 17235548 |
| dynamics of parasitemia of malaria parasites in a naturally and experimentally infected migratory songbird, the great reed warbler acrocephalus arundinaceus. | little is known about the development of infection of malaria parasites of the genus plasmodium in wild birds. we used qpcr, targeting specific mitochondrial lineages of plasmodium ashfordi (grw2) and plasmodium relictum (grw4), to monitor changes in intensities of parasitemia in captive great reed warblers acrocephalus arundinaceus from summer to spring. the study involved both naturally infected adults and experimentally infected juveniles. the experiment demonstrated that p. ashfordi and p. r ... | 2008 | 18280472 |
| plasmodium relictum (lineage sgs1) and plasmodium ashfordi (lineage grw2): the effects of the co-infection on experimentally infected passerine birds. | the effects of avian malaria parasites of the genus plasmodium on their hosts are insufficiently understood. this is particularly true for malarial co-infections, which predominant in many bird populations. we investigated effects of primary co-infection of plasmodium relictum (lineage sgs1) and plasmodium ashfordi (grw2) on experimentally infected naive juveniles of siskin spinus spinus, crossbill loxia curvirostra and starling sturnus vulgaris. all siskins and crossbills were susceptible but s ... | 2010 | 21050849 |
| quantitative disease resistance: to better understand parasite-mediated selection on major histocompatibility complex. | we outline a descriptive framework of how candidate alleles of the immune system associate with infectious diseases in natural populations of animals. three kinds of alleles can be separated when both prevalence of infection and infection intensity are measured-qualitative disease resistance, quantitative disease resistance and susceptibility alleles. our descriptive framework demonstrates why alleles for quantitative resistance and susceptibility cannot be separated based on prevalence data alo ... | 2011 | 21733902 |
| the genome of haemoproteus tartakovskyi and its relationship to human malaria parasites. | the phylogenetic relationships among hemosporidian parasites, including the origin of plasmodium falciparum, the most virulent malaria parasite of humans, have been heavily debated for decades. studies based on multiple-gene sequences have helped settle many of these controversial phylogenetic issues. however, denser taxon sampling and genome-wide analyses are needed to confidently resolve the evolutionay relationships among hemosporidian parasites. genome sequences of several plasmodium parasit ... | 2016 | 27190205 |
| the transcriptome of the avian malaria parasite plasmodium ashfordi displays host-specific gene expression. | malaria parasites (plasmodium spp.) include some of the world's most widespread and virulent pathogens. our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms these parasites use to invade and exploit their hosts other than in mice and primates is, however, extremely limited. it is therefore imperative to characterize transcriptome-wide gene expression from nonmodel malaria parasites and how this varies across individual hosts. here, we used high-throughput illumina rna sequencing on blood from wild-caught e ... | 2017 | 28267239 |
| primary peak and chronic malaria infection levels are correlated in experimentally infected great reed warblers. | malaria parasites often manage to maintain an infection for several months or years in their vertebrate hosts. in humans, rodents and birds, most of the fitness costs associated with malaria infections are in the short initial primary (high parasitaemia) phase of the infection, whereas the chronic phase (low parasitaemia) is more benign to the host. in wild birds, malaria parasites have mainly been studied during the chronic phase of the infection. this is because the initial primary phase of in ... | 2012 | 22716664 |
| parallel telomere shortening in multiple body tissues owing to malaria infection. | several studies have shown associations between shorter telomere length in blood and weakened immune function, susceptibility to infections, and increased risk of morbidity and mortality. recently, we have shown that malaria accelerates telomere attrition in blood cells and shortens lifespan in birds. however, the impact of infections on telomere attrition in different body tissues within an individual is unknown. here, we tested whether malarial infection leads to parallel telomere shortening i ... | 2016 | 27488651 |
| the avian transcriptome response to malaria infection. | malaria parasites are highly virulent pathogens which infect a wide range of vertebrates. despite their importance, the way different hosts control and suppress malaria infections remains poorly understood. with recent developments in next-generation sequencing techniques, however, it is now possible to quantify the response of the entire transcriptome to infections. we experimentally infected eurasian siskins (carduelis spinus) with avian malaria parasites (plasmodium ashfordi), and used high-t ... | 2015 | 25636457 |