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The finch epidemic strain of Trichomonas gallinae is predominant in British non-passerines

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 August 2013

JEAN F. CHI ,
BECKI LAWSON ,
CHRIS DURRANT ,
KATIE BECKMANN ,
SHINTO JOHN ,
ABDULWAHED F. ALREFAEI ,
KIM KIRKBRIDE ,
DIANA J. BELL ,
ANDREW A. CUNNINGHAM  and
KEVIN M. TYLER
JEAN F. CHI
Affiliation:
University of East Anglia, School of Environmental Sciences, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
BECKI LAWSON
Affiliation:
Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, London NW1 4RY, UK
CHRIS DURRANT
Affiliation:
Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, London NW1 4RY, UK
KATIE BECKMANN
Affiliation:
Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, London NW1 4RY, UK
SHINTO JOHN
Affiliation:
Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, London NW1 4RY, UK
ABDULWAHED F. ALREFAEI
Affiliation:
University of East Anglia, School of Biological Sciences, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
KIM KIRKBRIDE
Affiliation:
Hawk Conservancy Trust, Sarson Lane, Weyhill, Andover SP11 8DY, UK
DIANA J. BELL*
Affiliation:
University of East Anglia, School of Biological Sciences, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
ANDREW A. CUNNINGHAM
Affiliation:
Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, London NW1 4RY, UK
KEVIN M. TYLER
Affiliation:
Norwich Medical School at the University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
*
*Corresponding author: University of East Anglia, School of Biological Sciences, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK. E-mail: D.Bell@uea.ac.uk
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Summary

Avian trichomonosis, caused by the flagellated protozoan Trichomonas gallinae, is a recently emerged infectious disease of British passerines. The aetiological agent, a clonal epidemic strain of the parasite, has caused unprecedented finch mortality and population-level declines in Britain and has since spread to continental Europe. To better understand the potential origin of this epidemic and to further investigate its host range, T. gallinae DNA extracts were collected from parasite culture and tissue samples from a range of avian species in Britain. Sequence typing at the ITS1/5.8S rRNA/ITS2 region resolved three distinct ITS region types circulating in free-ranging British birds. Subtyping by sequence analyses at the Fe-hydrogenase gene demonstrated further strain variation within these ITS region types. The UK finch epidemic strain was preponderant amongst columbids sampled, however, wide strain diversity was encountered in isolates from a relatively small number of pigeons, suggesting further strains present in columbid populations across the UK are yet to be identified. Fe-hydrogenase gene sequence data in isolates from birds of prey with disease were predominantly identical to the UK finch epidemic strain, demonstrating its presence as a virulent strain in UK birds of prey since at least 2009.

Keywords

TrichomonosisTrichomoniasisTrichomonas gallinaemolecular epidemiologyinfectious diseaseITS1/5.8S/ITS2Fe-hydrogenase
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 140 , Issue 10 , September 2013 , pp. 1234 - 1245
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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