Malaria parasites and related haemosporidians cause mortality in cranes: a study on the parasites diversity, prevalence and distribution in Beijing Zoo

Table 2 Haemosporidian parasites and mortality rate reported in infected juvenile cranes maintained in open aviaries in Beijing Zoo, 2007–2014

Bird species	No infected/No died	Parasite reported by PCR-based testing	Parasite reported by microscopic examination
Anthropodies paradisea	1/1	pANTPAR01 [1]^b	Leucocytozoon sp. [1]
Bugeranus carunculatus	1/1	pANTPAR01 [1]	Leucocytozoon sp. [1]
Grus japonensis	4/2	pSGS1 [2]	Leucocytozoon sp. [2]
Grus nigricollis	9/4	pSGS1 [3], pGRUNIG01 [1]	Leucocytozoon sp. [4]
Total (4 species)	15/8 (53.3)^a	4 lineages	One unidentified morphotype

Lineages of Plasmodium parasites were reported in all died cranes, but DNA of Leucocytozoon parasites was not amplified from samples, in which gametocytes of leucocytozoids were readily visible in blood films. Other symbols are as in Table 1
^aPercentage of died birds is given in parentheses
^bNumber of reported infections is given in brackets

ISSN: 1475-2875