Blood parasites of passerines in the Brazilian Pampas and their implications for a potential population supplementation program for the endangered Yellow Cardinal (Gubernatrix cristata).

Espinilho savanna ("seasonal steppe savanna") is a unique vegetation formation of the Pampas biome that is found near the tri-border of Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina. The Yellow Cardinal (Gubernatrix cristata) is a flagship species of this ecosystem, but it is classified as "critically endangered" in Brazil due to habitat loss and poaching for the illegal trade. Population supplementation through the release of individuals that were captive-bred or apprehended by authorities from the illegal trade has been considered as a conservation strategy for this species; however, the risk of pathogen introduction is a critical concern. We used microscopy and molecular methods to investigate the occurrence of blood parasites in wild passerines (n = 64, including three Yellow Cardinals) at Espinilho State Park, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and in captive Yellow Cardinals (n = 30) at three facilities in Brazil. Haemosporidian parasites were detected in the blood smears of 10.9% of the wild passerines, comprising the morphospecies Haemoproteus erythrogravidus in Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis), H. quiscalus in Grayish Baywing (Agelaioides badius), and H. tyranni in Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus); these are the southernmost records for these morphospecies and their first record for the Pampas biome. No haemosporidian parasites were detected in the blood smears of the Yellow Cardinals, wild or captive. Microfilariae were detected in the blood smears of 14.1% of the wild passerines, including all wild Yellow Cardinals, and in 43.3% of captive Yellow Cardinals. Trypanosoma sp. was detected in the blood smear of one captive Yellow Cardinal. Nested PCR and gene sequencing of the cyt-b gene of Haemoproteus/Plasmodium was used to test a subset of wild passerines and captive Yellow Cardinals, allowing for the molecular barcoding of H. quiscalus lineage AGEBAD04 and H. tyranni lineage PITSUL01; additionally, DNA identical to that of lineage PITSUL01 was detected in the blood of one captive Yellow Cardinal. This study provides valuable data to support the conservation management of the Yellow Cardinal and other threatened passerines from the Pampas and highlights the need for further studies on the epidemiology and pathology of filarioid worms and trypanosomes in passerines from this biome.

Molecular detection of Leucocytozoon in red-legged seriemas (Cariama cristata), a non-migratory bird species in the Brazilian Cerrado.

Avian Haemosporidian parasites - Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, Leucocytozoon and Fallisia - have a wide distribution except for Antarctica. Leucocytozoon sp. has been poorly described in Brazil, and few studies have indicated infections in birds from the Atlantic Forest, Pantanal, Pampa and Amazon biomes. This study describes, for the first time, the occurrence of Leucocytozoon infection in red-legged seriemas (Cariama cristata) in the Brazilian savanna (Cerrado biome) using molecular diagnosis. Leucocytozoon spp. lineage CARCRI01 was detected in three C. cristata, a non-migratory bird, confirming transmission in mid-elevation areas in central Brazil. Further studies are needed to certify whether infections in red-legged seriemas were not abortive and to elucidate Leucocytozoon infection at low altitudes in the Brazilian lands.

Pesquisa de Mycoplasma em aves da família Psittacidae mantidas em diferentes cativeiros no Brasil Central / Research of Mycoplasma in the family Psittacidae kept in different captivities in Central Brazil

O presente estudo teve como objetivo investigar a presença de Mycoplasma gallisepticum e M. synoviae em diferentes espécies de psitacídeos cativos no Brasil Central. Um total de 300 amostras foram coletadas e corresponderam a 41 espécies de psitacídeos da fauna brasileira, provenientes do CETAS, criadouro comercial e criadouro conservacionista. Quatorze espécies apresentaram amostras positivas para M. gallisepticum destacando a maracanã-verdadeira (Primolius maracana) (01/02, 50%), a arara-canindé (Ara ararauna) (15/48, 33,3%) e a jandaia-verdadeira (Aratinga jandaia) (03/10, 30%). Amostras do CETAS obtiveram total de 21,62% (16/74) de amostras positivas, do criadouro comercial 15,7% (19/121) e do criadouro conservacionista 6,66% (7/105). Apenas três espécies foram positivas para M. synoviae sendo essas, a maracanã-pequena (Primolius maracana) (1/10 - 10%), arara-macao (Ara macao) (1/12, 8,3%) e arara-canindé (Ara ararauna) (2/48, 4,1%). O CETAS obteve 2,7% (2/74) de amostras positivas totais, enquanto o criadouro conservacionista obteve total de 1,9% (2/105) de amostras. Não ocorreram amostras positivas para M. synoviae no criadouro comercial. Os resultados mostraram um considerável número de amostras positivas para M. gallisepticum em espécies da família Psittacidae, indicando que estes animais podem ser uma fonte de infecção silenciosa para outras aves, uma vez que não apresentaram sintomatologia clínica.(AU)

The study aimed to investigate the presence of Mycoplasma gallisepticum and M. synoviae in different species of captive parrots, in Central Brazil. A total of 300 samples were collected from 41 brazilian species of Psittacidae at three captivities: Centro de Triagem de Animais Silvestres (CETAS), a conservation and a commercial captivity. Fourteen species presented positive samples for M. galisepticum, the most affected were blue-winged macaw (Primolius maracana) (01/02, 50%), blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna) (15/48, 33.3%), and jandaia parakeet (Aratinga jandaia) (03/10, 30%). CETAS facility showed 21.62% (16/74) of positive samples, while the commercial captivity showed 15.7% (19/121), and the conservation captivity 6.66% (7/105). Only three species presented positive samples for M. synoviae: blue-winged macaw (Primolius maracana) (1/10, 10%), scarlet macaw (Ara macao) (1/12, 8.3%) e blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna) (2/48, 4.1%). CETAS facility showed 2.7% (2/74) of positive samples, while the conservation captivity presented 1.9% (2/105), and no positive samples were found in the commercial captivity. Results showed a considerable number of positive samples for M. galisepticum in species of Psittacidae family, indicating that these animals can be a silent source of infection for other birds, since they did not present clinical symptoms.(AU)