Microfilariae infection in wild birds from the Brazilian cerrado.

Abstract

We report the occurrence of microfilariae in wild birds of a cerrado area in northern Brazil (Tocantins State). Analyses of 166 passerine birds belonging to 46 species and 17 families captured between 2006 and 2008 revealed that 11 individuals (6.6%) were hosts for microfilariae. Two bird species, Formicivora grisea and Formicivora rufa (Thamnophilidae), were identified as hosts for microfilariae for the first time, and had high intensities of microfilaremia (65 and 107 in 100 microscopic fields, respectively). The prevalence and intensity of microfilariae described in the present study are among the highest reported for wild bird communities in the neotropics.