Molecular prevalence, phylogeny and hematological impact of Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium spp. in common quails from Punjab, Pakistan

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304179
• Publication Date: 2024-05-31T20:16:21Z
• Authors: Ghafoor Ahmad; Ardas Masud; Muhammad Naeem; Abdul Ghafar; Hira Muqaddas; Muhammad Fiaz Qamar; Ayman A. Swelum; Maged A. Al-Garadi; Majid S. Jabir; Mourad Ben Said; Adil Khan; Furhan Iqbal
• Keywords: Male; Plasmodium; Malaria, Avian; Science; Veterinary medicine; Immunology; Toxoplasma gondii; Coturnix; FOS: Health sciences; Microbiology; Gene; Virology; Health Sciences; Parasite hosting; Prevalence; Genetics; Animals; Plasmodium (life cycle); Pakistan; Bacterial Pathogenesis in Animal and Human Health; Biology; Phylogeny; Poultry Diseases; Antibody; Immunology and Microbiology; FOS: Clinical medicine; Q; R; Toxoplasmosis and Neosporosis Research; Life Sciences; Computer science; Malaria; Phylogenetics; World Wide Web; Toxoplasmosis, Animal; Infectious Diseases; FOS: Biological sciences; Medicine; Female; Parasitology; Toxoplasma; Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers and Zoonotic Infections; Toxoplasmosis; Research Article

This study investigates the molecular prevalence and phylogenetic characteristics of two prominent blood-borne pathogens,Toxoplasma gondii(T.gondii) andPlasmodiumspp., in common quails (Coturnix coturnix) sampled from both wild (N = 236) and farmed (N = 197) populations across four districts (Layyah, Dera Ghazi Khan, Lahore, and Multan) in Punjab, Pakistan, during the hunting seasons from 2021 to 2023. Additionally, the impact of these pathogens on the complete blood count (CBC) of the hosts is examined. Out of 433 quails tested, 25 (5.8%) exhibited amplification of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS-1) gene forT.gondii, while 15 (3.5%) showed amplification of theCytochrome bgene forPlasmodiumspp. A risk factor analysis indicated that the prevalence of both pathogens was not confined to specific sampling sites or bird sexes (P > 0.05). District-wise analysis highlighted that hens were more susceptible to bothT.gondiiandPlasmodiumspp. infections than cocks. Wild quails exhibited a higher susceptibility toT.gondiicompared to farmed birds. Significant CBC variations were recorded in infected birds as compared to uninfected ones. BLAST analysis of generated sequences has confirmed the identity of recovered PCR amplicons asT.gondiiandPlasmodium relictum. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Pakistani isolates clustered with those reported from various countries globally. This study provides the first documentation ofT.gondiiandPlasmodiumsp. infections in Pakistani quails, underscoring the need for detailed investigations across different regions to enhance our understanding of infection rates and the zoonotic potential of these parasites.