First report of Sarcocystis halieti (Apicomplexa) in bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus)

At least three Sarcocystis species (S. falcatula, S. halieti and S. wobeseri-like) have been detected infecting raptorial birds. By histopathology and PCR-sequencing of the ITS1 marker, S. halieti was detected in a bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) and a black kite (Milvus migrans) from the Catalonia region in North Spain. The 241 bp-long sequences obtained from the Sarcocystis organisms detected in both raptors showed 97.5-99.6% and 97.9-100% similarity with those of previously identified S. halieti; also, the phylogenetic trees generated placed the identified sequences together with other sequences of S. halieti available in GenBank. In sum, the description of the bearded vulture as a new intermediate host for S. halieti adds new insights on the complex epidemiology of the genus involving avian hosts.

Automated summary

By using histopathology and PCR-sequencing, researchers identified three Sarcocystis species infecting bearded vultures and black kites in Catalonia, Spain. The analysis showed that S. halieti was one of the infecting species in these raptors, with high similarity to previously identified S. halieti sequences. This discovery contributes to a better understanding of the complex epidemiology of Sarcocystis genus in avian hosts.