phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at o:4924 DOI 10.1007/s00436-025-08510-3 Molecular analysis of blood-associated pathogens in common ravens (Corvus corax) from Germany Common ravens (Corvus corax) are intelligent scavengers that adapt to diverse environments, playing a key ecological role, but their health and ecosystem contributions can be affected by parasites. This study investigates the prevalence and diversity of blood parasite infections in common ravens using molecular techniques. Blood samples (n = 42) were collected from dead common ravens in Germany and screened for filarioid nematodes, trypanosomatids, and haemosporidian parasites. The results showed that 26.2% of the common ravens were PCR-positive for at least one parasite, with some cases of mixed infections. Filarioid nematodes were found in 16.7%, trypanosomatids in 4.8%, and haemosporidian parasites in 16.7% of the common ravens. Sequencing revealed the presence of four Leucocytozoon CytB lineages and one Haemoproteus lineage. The findings suggest that common ravens in Germany are often infected with diverse avian blood parasites, with a higher prevalence of filarioid nematodes. Further research is needed to confirm the circulation of these parasites in the common raven population and to identify the specific filarioid nematode species present in Germany. eng Corvus Corax Filarioid Nematodes Trypanosoma Haemosporidian Parasites Leucocytozoon Haemoproteus 2026-02-16T09:48:13.803Z LOMv1.0 Author BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Lamien-Meda;Aline; FN:Aline Lamien-Meda X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9430-830X 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:Lieber;Astrid; FN:Astrid Lieber END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Unterköfler;Maria; FN:Maria Unterköfler X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2947-1423 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Eigner;Barbara; FN:Barbara Eigner END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Wortha;Licha Nathalia; FN:Licha Nathalia Wortha END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Mueller;Franz; FN:Franz Mueller END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Heddergott;Mike; FN:Mike Heddergott END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Fuehrer;Hans-Peter; FN:Hans-Peter Fuehrer X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4178-0133 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 1769081 https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:4924 https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/api/object/o:4924/thumbnail LOMv1.0 discipline