Effect of Breeding Season on Haemosporidian Infections in Domestic Chickens

SIMPLE SUMMARY: A total of 122 chickens (66 chickens during the breeding season and 56 chickens during the non-breeding season) from tropical Hainan Island, China were sampled to test for haemosporidian infections. We showed that chickens have a higher incidence of haemosporidian infection and a greater diversity of haemosporidian parasite lineages during the breeding season relative to the non-breeding season. ABSTRACT: Reproduction is believed to contribute to the frequently observed seasonal cycles in parasite loads in many organisms, as an investment in reproduction by the host could result in a higher susceptibility to parasites. In this study, we examined the impact of breeding season on haemosporidian infection in free-range chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus). We sampled a total of 122 chickens (66 chickens during the breeding season of April 2017 and 56 chickens during the non-breeding season of January 2017) to test for haemosporidian infections. The result showed that 56 out of 66 chickens examined during the breeding season tested positive for parasites (84.8% parasite prevalence), whereas 39 out of 56 chickens tested positive for parasites during the non-breeding season (69.6% parasite prevalence). Moreover, among the 11 Leucocytozoon lineages and 2 Plasmodium lineages identified, the parasite lineages that infected chickens during the breeding season were more diversified than those that affected chickens during the non-breeding season. This study indicated that chickens have a higher incidence of haemosporidian infection and a greater diversity of haemosporidian parasite lineages during the breeding season relative to the non-breeding season.