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The Role of <I>Philornis Downsi</I> in Avian Disease Transmission in The

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The Role of <I>Philornis Downsi</I> in Avian Disease Transmission in The University of Missouri, St. Louis IRL @ UMSL Theses Graduate Works 7-13-2015 The oler of Philornis downsi in avian disease transmission in the Galápagos Islands Courtney Lauren Pike University of Missouri-St. Louis Follow this and additional works at: http://irl.umsl.edu/thesis Recommended Citation Pike, Courtney Lauren, "The or le of Philornis downsi in avian disease transmission in the Galápagos Islands" (2015). Theses. 48. http://irl.umsl.edu/thesis/48 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Works at IRL @ UMSL. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses by an authorized administrator of IRL @ UMSL. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Pike, Courtney, 2015, UMSL, p. 1 The role of Philornis downsi in avian disease transmission in the Galápagos Islands Courtney L. Pike B.S., Biology, University of Missouri – St. Louis, 2009 A Thesis Submitted to The Graduate School at the University of Missouri – St. Louis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science in Biology with an emphasis in Ecology, Evolution, & Systematics July 2015 Advisory Committee Patricia Parker, Ph.D. Chairperson Robert Marquis, Ph.D. Jeff Ettling, Ph.D. Pike, Courtney, 2015, UMSL, p. 2 DEDICATION I lovingly dedicate this degree to my parents who always supported my educational aspirations--in memory of my father, Eugene (Gene) Pike, who also sparked and fueled my love and respect for nature and my mother, Glenda Pike. I also dedicate this thesis to my loving dog, Holly (‘Jalapeño’) Pike, my loyal companion for 18 years, who still gives me endless love even after many hours, days, and weeks in the lab away from her and kept me company during countless hours researching and writing from home and at the park. Pike, Courtney, 2015, UMSL, p. 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank my amazing advisor, Dr. Patricia Parker. I am grateful for the opportunity she provided me to join her lab meetings when I was first considering graduate school and research options. Also, I am grateful for her belief in my abilities and acceptance into her research lab for my graduate thesis. I appreciate all of her guidance throughout the thesis process and her understanding during unique life circumstances. I also appreciated her encouragement during the final stages of the thes0is writing process, since it was a new experience for me. I would also like to thank my committee members Dr. Robert Marquis and Dr. Jeff Ettling for their support and suggestions during my committee meetings and for providing their expertise during thesis revisions. I am also thankful for Cindee Rettke, our lab manager, and all her assistance and advice in the lab and for allowing me to bounce ideas off of her for troubleshooting. In addition, I am grateful for the Parker lab members and fellow graduate students who supported me throughout my research. Furthermore, I would like to acknowledge my collaborators at the Charles Darwin Research Station, including Charlotte Causton and Piedad Lincago, and all the assistants who helped them during sample collection in the field. Additionally, I am grateful for my funding sources, including funding from Charlotte Causton and from Dr. Parker, who both provided funding from FRC grants. Finally, I want to express my sincere gratitude for my significant other, David Anchundia, who always provided encouraging words, positive energy, and advice throughout my work, even with 3,000+ miles between us. Pike, Courtney, 2015, UMSL, p. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract ...............................................................................................................................5 List of Tables ......................................................................................................................6 List of Figures .....................................................................................................................7 Chapter I: Background & Literature Review on Philornis downsi and Insects as Vectors of Disease Abstract ...................................................................................................................8 Introduction ............................................................................................................8 Philornis downsi ....................................................................................................10 Insects as Vectors of Avian Parasites .................................................................14 Conclusion and Further Research ......................................................................16 Literature Cited ...................................................................................................18 Chapter 2: Philornis downsi as an avian disease vector in Galápagos Islands Abstract .................................................................................................................26 Introduction ..........................................................................................................27 Materials and Methods ........................................................................................29 Results ...................................................................................................................35 Discussion..............................................................................................................37 Literature Cited ...................................................................................................42 Tables ....................................................................................................................48 Figures ...................................................................................................................51 Pike, Courtney, 2015, UMSL, p. 5 ABSTRACT Philornis downsi is a dipteran fly species known to parasitize passerine birds in the Neotropics. P. downsi is speculated to be a recently introduced species in Galápagos Islands, so it is important to understand its effects on the archipelago’s native and endemic avian species. Avian parasites and pathogens have been previously reported in the Galápagos, leading the Galápagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Foundation to focus efforts on the study and management of potential avian disease vectors. The main goal of this study was to determine whether P. downsi is a host for avian parasites and pathogens found in the Galápagos Islands. In Chapter I, I initially discuss introduced species as avian disease agents or vectors and highlight previous studies focused in Galápagos. Detailed background information on the life history and ecology of P. downsi is provided, followed by a review of the literature on insects as vectors of avian disease. In Chapter II, I report research conducted on P. downsi, assessing its capability of hosting avian parasites. Using molecular techniques, we tested P. downsi adults for haemosporidian parasites and Trypanosoma, as well as microfilarial nematodes, all parasites that have been described in Galápagos birds. We did not detect the presence of avian parasites of these genera, nor did we detect filarial nematodes; however, we did detect insect-specific trypanosomatids within P. downsi samples with a 0.90 overall prevalence. Our results suggest P. downsi is not a host of the avian parasites and pathogens for which I screened, indicating it is not a suitable vector; however, further research should be conducted. We recommend future studies to include testing of P. downsi larvae, an expanded geographical range for sample collection, and inclusion of other avian parasites and arboviruses. Pike, Courtney, 2015, UMSL, p. 6 LIST OF TABLES Table Page Table I: Tests for Pathogens in Philornis downsi in Galápagos Islands ...........................48 Table II: Recipes for trypanosome PCR tests ...................................................................49 Table III: Trypanosomatid sequences from our P. downsi samples and their closest BLAST sequence matches ............................................................................................50 Pike, Courtney, 2015, UMSL, p. 7 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page Figure I: Map of Galápagos Islands ..................................................................................51 Figure II: Collection sites for P. downsi samples on Santa Cruz .....................................52 Figure III: Collection sites for P. downsi samples on Isabela ..........................................53 Figure IV: Infection counts for P. downsi samples tested for trypanosomatids at each collection site ................................................................................................................54 Figure V: Prevalence of trypanosomatid infection in P. downsi samples at collection sites within the Galápagos Islands ........................................................................................55 Figure VI: A Maximum Likelihood (ML) phylogenetic estimate of trypanosomatid parasites.........................................................................................................................56 Pike, Courtney, 2015, UMSL, p. 8 CHAPTER I Background & Literature Review on Philornis downsi and Insects as Vectors of Disease ABSTRACT Introduced species may highly affect native species, acting as vectors of parasites or disease agents to native species, or may even parasitize native hosts directly. Avian species are highly susceptible to diseases transmitted by a wide range
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