Parasitology Research (2009) 105, 629-633

Hiroko Ejiri, Yukita Sato, Risa Sawai, Emi Sasaki, Rei Matsumoto, Miya Ueda, Yukiko Higa, Yoshio Tsuda, Sumie Omori, Koichi Murata and Masayoshi Yukawa (2009)
Prevalence of avian malaria parasite in mosquitoes collected at a zoological garden in Japan
Parasitology Research 105 (3), 629-633
Abstract: Several species of captive birds at zoological gardens of Japan were found to be infected with avian Plasmodium. However, incriminated vector mosquito species have not been identified yet. To indicate the competent vectors of avian malaria parasite, we collected mosquitoes at a zoological garden in Japan and examined for the avian malaria parasite DNA. Totally, 1,361 mosquitoes of 11 species were collected in the zoological garden of Kanagawa, the south of Tokyo in Japan in 2005. Captured mosquitoes were pooled by each species, date collected, and location and used for DNA extraction. Eight out of 169 DNA samples were positive for the nested PCR of avian Plasmodium cyt b gene. Estimated minimum infection rates of mosquitoes were 5.9 per 1,000. The PCR positive mosquito species were Culex pipiens group and Lutzia vorax. Some DNA sequences amplified from collected mosquitoes were identical to avian Plasmodium lineages detected from captive birds in the same zoological garden studied. Our results suggest that C. pipiens group and L. vorax could be incriminated vectors of avian malaria parasite transmitting in captive birds kept in the zoological garden in Japan.
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Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Yoshio Tsuda

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
surveys/sampling/distribution
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Culex pipiens		Japan