Spillover of Protozoal Pathogens into and out of an Invasive Bird Species
Heilbronn, Matt
Heilbronn, Matt
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Abstract
Pathogen spillover and subsequent emerging infectious disease threatens the health of humans, domestic animals, and wildlife, yet their environmental precursors are not well studied in nature. It is likely that spillover is not homogenous across the landscape and that human land use change and habitat alteration are involved. Across time and distance, I investigate the malaria parasites (genus Plasmodium) that have spilled into the introduced and invasive bird species, the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus). I document the prevalence and diversity of malaria parasites at the diversity of sites sampled, aiming to identify the possible habitat factors involved in pathogen spillover.
Description
Undergraduate
Date
2023-01-01