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Assessing rates of parasite coinfection and spatiotemporal strain variation via metabarcoding: insights for the conservation of European Turtle Doves Streptopelia turtur
  • +10
  • Rebecca Thomas,
  • Jenny Dunn,
  • Deborah Dawson,
  • Helen Hipperson,
  • Gavin Horsburgh,
  • Antony Morris,
  • Chris Orsman,
  • John Mallord,
  • Philip Grice,
  • Keith C. Hamer,
  • Cyril Eraud,
  • Lormee Herve,
  • Simon Goodman
Rebecca Thomas
University of Leeds

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Jenny Dunn
University of Lincoln
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Deborah Dawson
University of Sheffield
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Helen Hipperson
University of Sheffield
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Gavin Horsburgh
University of Sheffield
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Antony Morris
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
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Chris Orsman
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
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John Mallord
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
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Philip Grice
Natural England Peterborough
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Keith C. Hamer
University of Leeds
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Cyril Eraud
Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage
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Lormee Herve
Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage
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Simon Goodman
University of Leeds
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Abstract

Understanding the frequency, spatiotemporal dynamics and impacts of parasite coinfections is fundamental to developing control measures and predicting disease impacts. The European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur) is one of Europe’s most threatened bird species. High prevalence of infection by the protozoan parasite Trichomonas gallinae has previously been identified, but the role of this and other coinfecting parasites in turtle dove declines remains unclear. Using a high-throughput sequencing approach, we identified seven strains of T. gallinae, including two novel strains, from ITS1/5.8S/ITS2 ribosomal sequences in turtle doves on breeding and wintering grounds, with further intra-strain variation and four novel sub-types revealed by the iron-hydrogenase gene. High spatiotemporal turnover was observed in T. gallinae strain composition, and infection was prevalent in all populations (89–100%). Coinfection by multiple Trichomonas strains was rarer than expected (1% observed compared to 38.6% expected), suggesting either within-host competition, or high mortality of coinfected individuals. In contrast, coinfection by multiple haemosporidians was common (43%), as was coinfection by haemosporidians and T. gallinae (90%), with positive associations between strains of T. gallinae and Leucocytozoon suggesting a mechanism such as parasite-induced immune modulation. We found no evidence for negative associations between coinfections and host body condition. We suggest that longitudinal studies involving the recapture and investigation of infection status of individuals over their lifespan are crucial to understand the epidemiology of coinfections in natural populations.
18 Dec 2021Submitted to Molecular Ecology
05 Jan 2022Reviewer(s) Assigned
01 Feb 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
14 Feb 2022Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
15 Feb 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
15 Feb 20221st Revision Received
01 Mar 2022Editorial Decision: Accept