Wild and Domestic Animal Hemoparasites

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Wildlife".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 930

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Witold Stefanski Institute of Parasitology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
Interests: hemoparasites; small mammals; vectors; vector-borne pathogens

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Blood parasites seriously harm the health of livestock, domestic animals and wildlife. Their study includes many groups of pathogens, including bacteria, rickettsia, protozoa parasites, nematodes and blood-sucking arthropods. The range of investigations is wide, encompassing immunology, epidemiology and genetics, as well as faunistic study. As established, many of the pathogens that cause diseases in animals have zoonotic potential, also affecting humans.

Animal blood parasites have been studied for a long time. It may seem that this is an exhausted topic, but that is not the case. The global changes observed over recent decades are causing changes in their range, changes in the range of hosts and biology, consequently making them new threats to humans and pets.

The aim of this Special Issue is to publish original research papers or reviews concerning many aspects of blood pathogens: the biology, biodiversity, pathogenesis, immunology and epidemiology of veterinary hemoparasites and wild animal hemoparasites, as well the news in the light of global changes.

Research areas include (but are not limited to) the following: occurrence, developmental cycles, the pathogenesis and epidemiology of animal hemoparasites, animal–parasite interactions, the host and environment.

We invite you to share your recent findings in this Special Issue. We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Grzegorz Karbowiak
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • hemoparasite
  • vector-borne pathogens
  • biodiversity
  • pathology
  • immunology
  • global changes
  • thematically similar issues

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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15 pages, 1925 KiB  
Systematic Review
Molecular Prevalence of Avian Haemosporidian Parasites in Southeast Asia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
by Kannawee Swangneat, Nikom Srikacha, Nittakone Soulinthone, Surya Paudel, Wilasinee Srisanyong, Christopher James Stott, Tanakamol Mahawan and Pornchai Pornpanom
Animals 2025, 15(5), 636; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15050636 - 21 Feb 2025
Viewed by 340
Abstract
In this study, for the first time, a systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to understand the prevalence and genetic diversity of haemosporidian parasites—namely, Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon—in avian species in Southeast Asia. Following the PRISMA guidelines, 14,211 studies were retrieved [...] Read more.
In this study, for the first time, a systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to understand the prevalence and genetic diversity of haemosporidian parasites—namely, Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon—in avian species in Southeast Asia. Following the PRISMA guidelines, 14,211 studies were retrieved from PubMed, ScienceDirect and Scopus, which contain data relevant to ‘Plasmodium’ or ‘Haemoproteus’ or ‘Leucocytozoon’ and ‘birds’ or ‘chickens’. Of these, 15 articles reporting the prevalence of Plasmodium, Haemoproteus or Leucocytozoon in Southeast Asia were selected for meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon were analyzed using a meta-analysis of their proportions, implemented in R programming. The publication bias was checked using a funnel plot and Egger’s test. Consequently, the pooled prevalences of Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon in Southeast Asia were found to be 21% (95% CI: 18–25%), 18% (95% CI: 15–22%) and 34% (95% CI: 30–37%), respectively. The prevalence of Plasmodium in domestic poultry (37.94%) was found significantly higher than in wild birds (6.46%). There was substantial heterogeneity among studies related to Plasmodium2 = 171.50, p < 0.0001, I2 = 94.84%), Haemoproteus2 = 52.20, p < 0.0001, I2 = 90.4%) and Leucocytozoon2 = 433.90, p < 0.0001, I2 = 98.80%). Additionally, this review revealed 23 lineages of Plasmodium, 35 lineages of Haemoproteus and 21 lineages of Leucocytozoon reported from both domestic poultry and wild birds in Southeast Asia. In conclusion, this systematic review suggested that the prevalence of avian haemosporidian parasites in Southeast Asia is high. Particularly, domestic poultry has a high prevalence of Plasmodium, suggesting that monitoring of this parasite should be implemented in the poultry production system. Furthermore, several parasites found in wild birds are undescribed species. Further experimental studies using combined microscopic and molecular techniques might reveal the characteristics of overlooked parasites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wild and Domestic Animal Hemoparasites)
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