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Prevalence of avian malaria parasite in mosquitoes collected at a zoological garden in Japan

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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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Acknowledgements

This study was partially supported by the Academic Frontier Project “Surveillance and control for zoonoses” and “High-Tech Research Center” Project for Private Universities: matching fund subsidy from Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, Global Environment Research Fund of the Ministry of the Environment of Japan (F-062), and Nihon University Research Grants.

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Correspondence to Yukita Sato.

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Ejiri, H., Sato, Y., Sawai, R. et al. Prevalence of avian malaria parasite in mosquitoes collected at a zoological garden in Japan. Parasitol Res 105, 629–633 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-009-1434-9

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