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¹ Genetics Program, National Zoological Park, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20008, USA.
² Conservation and Research Center, Front Royal, Virginia 22630, USA
³ Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, S. B. Singh Road, Mumbai 400023, India
⁴ Wildlife Institute of India, PO Box 18, Chandrabani, Dehra Dun 248001, Uttaranchal, India
⁵ Division of Birds, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Room E 607, MRC 116, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012, USA
⁶ 6 Normandale House, Normandale, Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, TN39 3NZ, UK
⁸ Corresponding author (email: farah.ishtiaq{at}zoo.ox.ac.uk)

ABSTRACT:   Tissue samples from 699 birds from three regions of Asia (Myanmar, India, and South Korea) were screened for evidence of infection by avian parasites in the genera Plasmodium and Haemoproteus. Samples were collected from November 1994 to October 2004. We identified 241 infected birds (34.0%). Base-on-sequence data for the cytochrome b gene from 221 positive samples, 34 distinct lineages of Plasmodium, and 41 of Haemoproteus were detected. Parasite diversity was highest in Myanmar followed by India and South Korea. Parasite prevalence differed among regions but not among host families. There were four lineages of Plasmodium and one of Haemoproteus shared between Myanmar and India and only one lineage of Plasmodium shared between Myanmar and South Korea. No lineages were shared between India and South Korea, although an equal number of distinct lineages were recovered from each region. Migratory birds in South Korea and India originate from two different migratory flyways; therefore cross-transmission of parasite lineages may be less likely. India and Myanmar shared more host species and habitat types compared to South Korea. Comparison between low-elevation habitat in India and Myanmar showed a difference in prevalence of haematozoans.
  Key words:  Avian malaria, hematozoan parasites, India, Myanmar, South Korea.

⁷ Current address: Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK.