phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at o:3621 DOI 10.3390/pathogens13040337 Isospora and Lankesterella Parasites (Eimeriidae, Apicomplexa) of Passeriform Birds in Europe: Infection Rates, Phylogeny, and Pathogenicity. Wild birds are common hosts to numerous intracellular parasites such as single-celled eukaryotes of the family Eimeriidae (order Eucoccidiorida, phylum Apicomplexa). We investigated the infection rates, phylogeny, and pathogenicity of Isospora and Lankesterella parasites in wild and captive passerine birds. Blood and tissue samples of 815 wild and 15 deceased captive birds from Europe were tested using polymerase chain reaction and partial sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome b and cytochrome c oxidase I and the nuclear 18S rRNA gene. The infection rate for Lankesterella in wild birds was 10.7% compared to 5.8% for Isospora. Chromogenic in situ hybridization with probes targeting the parasites' 18S rRNA was employed to identify the parasites' presence in multiple organs, and hematoxylin-eosin staining was performed to visualize the parasite stages and assess associated lesions. Isospora parasites were mainly identified in the intestine, spleen, and liver. Extraintestinal tissue stages of Isospora were accompanied by predominantly lymphohistiocytic inflammation of varying severity. Lankesterella was most frequently detected in the spleen, lung, and brain; however, infected birds presented only a low parasite burden without associated pathological changes. These findings contribute to our understanding of Isospora and Lankesterella parasites in wild birds. eng Molecular Characterization; Atoxoplasma Garnham; Usutu-Virus; N-Sp; Hemoparasites; Coccidia; Frogs; Spp.; Domesticus; Caryospora 2024-10-18T09:52:10.528Z LOMv1.0 Author BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Keckeisen;Carina; FN:Carina Keckeisen END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Harl;Josef; FN:Josef Harl X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4915-3943 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Weissenböck;Herbert; FN:Herbert Weissenböck X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8197-6379 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Chagas;Carolina R. F.; FN:Carolina R. F. Chagas X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7884-9085 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Nedorost;Nora; FN:Nora Nedorost END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Matt;Julia; FN:Julia Matt END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Šujanová;Alžbeta; FN:Alžbeta Šujanová X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1727-8370 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Himmel;Tanja; FN:Tanja Himmel X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9443-8967 END:VCARD https://w3id.org/kim/hcrt/scheme https://w3id.org/kim/hcrt/text Textdokument Text LOMv1.0 yes https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 application/pdf 7216090 https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:3621 https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/api/object/o:3621/thumbnail LOMv1.0 discipline