Assessing Diversity, Plasmodium Infection and Blood Meal Sources in Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) from a Brazilian Zoological Park with Avian Malaria Transmission
by
, , , , , , and
Lilian de Oliveira Guimarães
1,†
,
Roseli França Simões
2,†, 
Carolina Romeiro Fernandes Chagas
3,4
,
Regiane Maria Tironi de Menezes
1,
Fabiana Santos Silva
1,2,
Eliana Ferreira Monteiro
2,
Marcia Moreira Holcman
1,
Miklos Maximiliano Bajay
5,
Adriano Pinter
1,
Vera Lucia Fonseca de Camargo-Neves
1
and
Karin Kirchgatter
1,2,*
1
Superintendence for Endemic Disease Control, SUCEN, São Paulo SP 01027-000, Brazil
2
Institute of Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo SP 05403-000, Brazil
3
Nature Research Centre, 08412 Vilnius, Lithuania
4
Applied Research Department, Zoological Park Foundation, São Paulo SP 04301-905, Brazil
5
State University of Santa Catarina, Laguna SC 88790-000, Brazil
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Insects 2021, 12(3), 215; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12030215
Submission received: 21 January 2021
/
Revised: 23 February 2021
/
Accepted: 25 February 2021
/
Published: 3 March 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vector-Borne Diseases in a Changing World)
Simple Summary
Zoological gardens in forest areas host a large diversity of vertebrate species (exotic and indigenous, free-living and captive, migrant and resident), resulting in an artificial proximity of animal species that would never share the same environment in natural conditions. The presence of mosquitoes enables the transmission of vector-borne pathogens, as is the case with avian malaria parasites. The mild infections in some bird species may become a serious threat to others that do not possess a natural resistance. Thus, the identification of the potential vectors of these parasites is important for future control of these agents, aiming at the bird species conservation. In this study, we collected over 2000 mosquitoes in São Paulo Zoo and analyzed them through molecular methods. Six different mosquito species yielded positive for the targeted parasite DNA. We demonstrated that these culicids had fed mainly on bird species and we reported three mosquito species that have never been previously incriminated as potential vectors of these parasites, enabling the use of more specific measures for vigilance and mosquito control.
Abstract
Avian malaria parasites are widespread parasites transmitted by Culicidae insects belonging to different genera. Even though several studies have been conducted recently, there is still a lack of information about potential vectors of Plasmodium parasites, especially in Neotropical regions. Former studies with free-living and captive animals in São Paulo Zoo showed the presence of several Plasmodium and Haemoproteus species. In 2015, a pilot study was conducted at the zoo to collect mosquitoes in order to find out (i) which species of Culicidae are present in the study area, (ii) what are their blood meal sources, and (iii) to which Plasmodium species might they be potential vectors. Mosquitoes were morphologically and molecularly identified. Blood meal source and haemosporidian DNA were identified using molecular protocols. A total of 25 Culicidae species were identified, and 6 of them were positive for Plasmodium/Haemoproteus DNA. Ten mosquito species had their source of blood meal identified, which were mainly birds, including some species that were positive for haemosporidian parasites in the former study mentioned. This study allowed us to expand the list of potential vectors of avian malaria parasites and to improve our knowledge of the evolutionary and ecological relationships between the highly diverse communities of birds, parasites, and vectors present at São Paulo Zoo.
