Prevalencia de malaria en aves de sotobosque en la cuenca alta del rio Itaya, Loreto, Perú

Abstract

The Peruvian Amazon and specifically the Loreto region harbours a great diversity of birds that have been studied in different fields. However, little is known about the diseases they afflict them. One type of disease disease is the avian malaria caused by hemosporidia. There is a gap of information regarding this and other diseases and valuable information such as host-parasite interactions, tissue damage, survival and other effects that can cause these parasites. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of malaria in understory birds of the upper Itaya river basin. Blood samples were obtained from 281 birds and the avian malaria parasites genetic material was detected by molecular methods. A total of 66 bird species belonging to 18 families were identified. An overall prevalence of avian malaria of 60.1% was recorded, with the Thamnophilidae family showing the highest prevalence of hemoparasites (64.9%). In conclusion, the prevalence of malaria in understory birds in the upper Itaya river basin is high and could represent a risk for the conservation of avifaunal diversity in the Peruvian Amazon.